In February 2019, a meme about the 1921 Tulsa race riot was shared to Facebook, racking up tens of thousands of shares in 24 hours: Above what looked to be an archival photograph of Ku Klux Klan members lining a dirt road, and caption (“History
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FactCheck.org→ ‘Green New Deal’ Doesn’t Call for ‘End’ to Air Travel
Quick Take A resolution before Congress outlining actions to address climate change prompted the misleading claim that the deal aims to “end” air travel and “build trains over the oceans.” Full Story The rollout of Rep. Alexan
FactCheck.org→ Phony Claim That Gold Went To Afghanistan
Quick Take A meme making a bogus claim about the U.S. giving gold to Afghanistan is circulating online. Full Story More than two years after leaving office, former President Barack Obama is still a popular subject of misinformation online. One meme ci
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NOT A Real Photo of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Lighting Fart On Fire
Did a photo surface of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in which she can be seen being held in the air by a young man while lighting a fart on fire? No, that's not true: the photo was digitally manipulated and people who believe this is some sort of "
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Tara McClossoff Did NOT Introduce Bill to Ban Seniors From Voting
Did a democrat by the name of Tara McClossoff introduce a bill to ban seniors from voting? No, that's not true: an image making that claim was spread through a viral Facebook message put out by a satire page. Tara McClossoff does not exist. Th
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s State of the Union Outfit Cost Thousands of Dollars?
In February 2019, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez was among a number of Democratic women wearing all white ensembles for the president’s State of the Union address, and the New York congresswoman’s outfit in particular inspired a number of me
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Australia Fire Its Entire Legislature After a 1975 Government Shutdown?
In early February 2019, a Facebook user shared the meme below, which claims that after Australia went through a government shutdown in 1975 its citizens kicked out the entire legislature and started over: Text overlaid on a photograph of what looked l
Climate Feedback→ European Science-Media Hub Workshop ‘Tackling misinformation and disinformation in science’
How to tackle disinformation in science? How scientists and journalists could work better together in order to prevent misinformation? The knowledge lab of the ESMH on 6th February will take a closer look at some initiatives. The ESMH workshop will bri
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Shocking Evidence Showing Bill Cosby To Be Innocent
Did 'shocking' evidence prove Bill Cosby is innocent? No, that's not true: an image appearing to be a screenshot from some television show which recently went viral again actually originated from a 2016 satire article. Cosby was found guilty o
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Bill Murray NOT Dead at 81
Did actor and legendary funnyman Bill Murray die at 81 and was his wish to see "Americans United Under Trump"? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Whoopi Goldberg NOT Fired From ‘The View’ After ‘Whiteface’ Controversy
Was Whoopi Goldberg fired from The View after a "Whiteface" controversy? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republicans about the need to actually click
FactCheck.org→ Sanders’ ‘Fact-Check’ Video Distorts Facts
A “fact-check” video posted on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ official social media accounts misrepresents employment data in an attempt to prove President Donald Trump “wrong” about the economy. The data actually show employment co
Truth or Fiction?→ American Sign Language for the Word ‘Abortion’?
Ongoing debate about a January 22 2019 change to abortion law in New York piqued interest in the topic across social media, reviving an old rumor that a long-circulating GIF sbows the American Sign Language translation of the word “abortion.̶
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a 38-Year-Old White Active Duty Naval Officer Assault a Black Middle School Student?
On January 23 2019, a Facebook user shared what appeared to be a screenshot of an unlinked Facebook post, alleging that a man named Jordan Lee Grinnell assaulted an unnamed black middle school student: Above three images (a handcuffed man sitting on s
FactCheck.org→ False Claim About Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘Demand’
Quick Take A false claim circulating online states that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — in exchange for a border wall — “demands welfare” for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. That story originated on a self-described satire site
FactCheck.org→ Super Bowl Ratings Not Trumped by SOTU
Quick Take The Super Bowl had double the viewers than the State of the Union address, contrary to a false claim on social media. Full Story TV viewership for Super Bowl LIII was below 100 million — marking a 10-year low for what is typically the
Truth or Fiction?→ Shocking Video of ‘Abortion Doctor’ Saying He ‘Loves Killing Babies’?
On February 7 2019, Facebook user Marcus Rogers shared a video post captioned: “SHOCKING VIDEO of Abortion Doctor GROWLING and Saying He loves Killing Babies. This is just DISGUSTING [emoji] AND YOU KNOW, they don’t want you to see this one
Lead Stories→ Fake News: McCarran Warner Act of 1952 Did NOT Forbid Muslims From Holding Office
Did the 101st Congress on November 18, 1990 quietly repeal the "McCarran Warner Act of 1952" forbidding muslims from holding office? No, that's not true for the simple reason that there never was such an act. Also, forbidding muslims from hol
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Modern Caesarean Sections Invented in Africa?
On February 6 2019, a Facebook post circulated claiming that “modern c-sections” were invented by midwives in Africa. The post had the hashtag #BlackHistoryMonth, and it said in its entirety: Did you that modern C sections were invented by
FactCheck.org→ Blackface Photo Doesn’t Show Clintons
Quick Take A photo of two people, one of whom is in blackface, has been circulating online for years with the unfounded claim that it shows Bill and Hillary Clinton. A Twitter user said he posted the photo in 2015, even though he had no evidence it was
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This the League of Nazi Women, Who ‘Always Wore White’?
On February 5 2019, Facebook user Anna Love shared the following image in a status update, claiming that the photograph shows Nazi Socialist women wearing their customary white attire: In the status update field, Love wrote: The League of Nazi Sociali
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Muslim Principal Ban Crucifixes in a Virginia School?
On January 30 2019, Facebook page “The Blacksphere” shared the following meme, purportedly depicting a Virginia principal named Mamasai Mamakusa: The meme was likely outrage-bait which implied that the nonexistent principal’s hijab c
FactCheck.org→ Posts Spread Satirical Trump ‘Quote’
Quick Take A quote attributed to President Donald Trump in Facebook posts actually originated in a well-known satirical New Yorker column. Full Story There are at least three indicators on a Borowitz Report column that it is satirical. “Satire
Truth or Fiction?→ Keanu Reeves Steals a Camera?
On February 6 2019, the Facebook page “Children of the Night” reposted a popular meme purportedly showing an amusing scene: actor Keanu Reeves fleeing paparazzi after stealing a camera from a photographer: Its caption stated: A photo of K
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NOT A Picture of Nancy Pelosi, Beto O’Rourke and El Chapo
Is this a picture of Nancy Pelosi, Beto O'Rourke and drug kingpin El Chapo? No, that's not true. A miscaptioned picture of a 2016 meeting of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto with U.S House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Henry Cuella
Truth or Fiction?→ Penn State ‘Slut Shaming’ Advertisement?
On February 3 2019, the Facebook page Feminist News shared a screenshot of a tweet to Penn State about their placement of a questionable sexual health advertisement: The tweet’s text read: Per the CDC, college men have (on avg) more than triple
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Alabama Declare Fetuses Are People?
On January 22 2019, New York State’s Reproductive Health Act was signed into law, inflaming people across the United States. Arguments raged on social networks, largely due to misinterpretations of the law and a mistaken belief that it enabled el
Truth or Fiction?→ Snow Walls in Austria?
As temperatures in the Midwest plummeted in January 2019, the following photograph appeared on social media with the caption: “You think we got snow, how about Austria?” No context was provided for the images, and no clues about the locat
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘Ankle Scarves’ the New Hot Fashion Trend?
In December 2018, a number of viral news sites began sharing posts about ankle scarves, the purported “hot new trend” in winter footwear. Country Living‘s post admitted it “didn’t know what to say” about ankle scarve
Truth or Fiction?→ Mold in Baby Food Pouches?
On January 31 2019, the Facebook page “Mommin’ Over Everything” shared what appears to be a screenshot of a social media post showing mold purportedly found in Aldi Simply Natural baby food pouches: Another version published on the
Snopes→ Did Diahann Carroll Praise President Trump, Plead with Democrats to Stop Criticizing Him?
Right-leaning web sites and Facebook pages shared an old meme that attributed a quotation to the veteran Broadway and Hollywood actor.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man Lose His Penis to Frostbite After Urinating Outside During a Cold Snap?
In early February 2019, the Facebook page Sexy Atheists shared a link to an article titled “Chicago Man Loses His Penis To Frostbite After Peeing Outside,” which appeared to report: The bitter cold in Chicago has kept hospitals busy, with
Snopes→ Google+ Social Networking Site Shutting Down April 2
It's the end of the line for Google+, the potential Facebook rival that never really took off.
Lead Stories→ Kumanovo-connection Update: Macedonian Fake News Purveyor Revealed To Be Military Intelligence Major
One of the Macedonians identified by Nieuwscheckers and Lead Stories to be behind a network of sites publishing hate-mongering fake news turns out to be a major in the military intelligence service of Macedonia. Another one is an active-duty s
FactCheck.org→ Bogus Claim About ‘Impeaching’ Pelosi
Quick Take A claim that the White House may impeach House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is false, but it is still circulating widely online. It stems from a petition created by a conservative commentator and posted on the White House’s web page, “We
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Local Man NOT Arrested After Cosplaying Mr. Freeze And Yelling Cold Weather Puns At People in Sioux Falls
Was a man from Sioux Falls in South Dakota arrested for dressing up like the character Mr. Freeze from the Batman comics and yelling cold weather puns at people in a Walmart parking lot? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a satirica
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man Get $20,000 of Surgery to Look Like Jesus Christ?
In late January 2019, an article appearing to report that a man spent $20,000 on surgery to look more like Jesus Christ began circulating on Facebook: A 30-year old man from Kentucky underwent some radical plastic surgery in order to physically resemb
FactCheck.org→ Pelosi Didn’t Spend $497 Million on Renovations
Quick Take Nancy Pelosi did not spend $497 million on office renovations during the government shutdown. That claim originated from a self-described satirical website, but it has now spread to other websites and social media posts without a disclaimer.
Truth or Fiction?→ Chuck Schumer Border Wall 2013 vs. 2018
In January 2019, the Facebook page “McGroarty for Freedom” shared the following meme, which contrasted purported positions held by Sen. Chuck Schumer in 2013 and 2018 on the topic of a border wall to separate the United States from Mexico:
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Media Ignore a Devastating Tornado in Cuba?
On January 28 2019, a Facebook user shared the following image set and claim (automatically translated) about a purported and unreported tornado that caused widespread devastation in Cuba: Last night a tornado destroyed everything in its path in Havana