In January 2019, the Facebook page “Herbs, Health, and Happiness” shared a Natural News item titled “Growing vegetables in your own yard now confirmed as a criminal offense by Florida courts … INSANITY is now LAW.” The sh
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Truth or Fiction?→ Did President Trump Say ‘Illegal Immigration’ Has Been a Problem in the U.S. for ‘Thousands of Years’?
On January 6, 2019, the following status update appeared, paraphrasing purported comments made by United States President Donald Trump which described “illegal immigration” as an American problem for “thousands of years”: Th
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Saudi Man Did NOT Eat Two Of His Four Wives To Survive 13 Days Stranded In The Desert
Did a Saudi man named Mustafa Ali Hamad eat two of his four wives after getting stranded for 13 days in the desert after a car crash? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living by publish
Truth or Fiction?→ Chef Boyardee Bugs Video
On January 6, 2019, a Facebook user shared a video of purported bugs and insect pieces she found in a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli purchased the previous night at a Walmart in Enterprise, Alabama. In the clip, the user dissects a number of raviolis nex
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Raised Dots on a Steering Wheel Braille for Blind Drivers?
In January 2019, the Facebook page “Adult Imaginations” shared an old meme claiming that steering wheels feature raised dots in braille for blind or visually impaired drivers: The image shows raised dots on the center of a steering wheel,
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Photograph of Wedding Bands Removed by Nazis in Concentration Camps?
In December 2017, the Facebook page “Historical Pictures” shared the following image: A caption read: Wedding bands that were removed from Holocaust victims prior to being executed, 1945. Each ring represents a destroyed family. Never forg
Truth or Fiction?→ Can You Now Be Fined $999 for Holding a Phone in Your Car?
On January 7 2019, the following status update appeared on social media and quickly went viral: Caught using cell phone, or holding it while driving- $999 fine and 3 yr suspended license as of Jan.2019! Ouch…be aware folks!! No specific jurisdi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Saudi Man NOT Sentenced To 1000 Lashes For Performing Oral Sex On a Camel
Was 26-year old Abdullah al-Rashidi from Jizan in Saudi Arabia sentenced to 1,000 lashes for perfroming oral sex on a camel owned by his boss? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Undocumented Immigrants Send $56 Billion in ‘Pure Cash’ to Their Home Countries Last Year?
Against the backdrop of a long-running federal shutdown, purportedly over border wall funding, a Facebook user shared the following meme in January 2019: It read: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SENT $56 BILLION IN PURE CASH TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES LAST YEAR ALONE
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Venezuela Did NOT Declare War On Republic of Paraguay
Did Venezuela just declare war on Paraguay? No, that's not true: some joker uploaded an article making that claim to a prank website that allows anyone to create a realistic-looking news article, but it is not real. The story originated from
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Former Price Is Right Host Bob Barker NOT Dead at Age 95
Did former Price Is Right host Bob Barker die aged 95 after splitting his head due to a fall? No, that's not true: a brand new fake news site is simply recycling an old death hoax while updating just the age The story originated from an articl
FactCheck.org→ Social Posts Distort Facts of 2013 Shutdown
Quick Take Viral Facebook posts say that former President Barack Obama “shut down the government to force Obamacare.” That’s misleading. Full Story The current partial government shutdown that began Dec. 22 arose as a result of an im
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Woman Shoot Off a Motorist’s Middle Finger in a Utah Road Rage Incident?
On January 8, 2019, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following image claim without further information: The image showed a four-lane motorway, and the text read: A man flipped off a woman while entering a Utah Freeway, and proce
FactCheck.org→ Phony Claim On Elizabeth Warren’s Health
Quick Take A baseless claim about Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s health is circulating on social media. Full Story Shortly after Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced on New Year’s Eve that she has formed an exploratory committee for president, an inte
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Irreplaceable Joshua Trees Destroyed Because of the Government Shutdown?
On January 10, 2019, the Facebook page “The Other 98%” shared a meme about Joshua trees which were purportedly destroyed due to the 2018-2019 federal government shutdown: Atop two images of trees, text read: During the shutdown, with Joshu
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Grandma Want You to Share Her Photo to Mark Her 100th Birthday?
On January 7, 2019, the Facebook page “Animals & Nature” shared a seemingly wholesome plea on the part of the purported poster’s 100-year-old grandma: Alongside the purported centenarian’s image, a caption pleaded: Today’
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Banks Collect $30 Billion in Overdraft Fees in 2018?
In January 2019, the following meme appeared on social media about overdraft fees collected by banks: The meme read: Banks collected over $30 billion in overdraft fees last year. Another way of saying that, banks took $30,000,000,000 from people who
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Rashida Tlaib’s ‘Raping and Pillaging… What Goes Around Comes Around’ Tweet Real?
In January 2019, a tweet attributed to Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib began circulating in questionable screenshot-only form on Twitter and Facebook: Dated January 4, 2019, it read: Americans have spent decades raping and pillaging my people. What goes a
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Democrats Pay The $5 Billion Wall Cost Every 10 Days to ‘Subsidize’ Illegal Immigration?
On January 4, 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based post to a public group: It stated: Democrats pay what Trump is asking for the wall every 10 days to subsidize illegal aliens. Let that sink in. #SocialistClowns The status update was shared durin
Snopes→ Have ‘Squishies’ Toys Been Recalled in Denmark for Being Toxic?
A Facebook user's account of "hallucinations" by her daughter brought to light a critical assessment of the toys in Europe.
FactCheck.org→ Bogus Claim on Interest Rate Increases
Quick Take The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates nine times since 2015, so a claim circulating on social media that there were no increases during the Obama administration is wrong. Full Story The central bank raised interest rates on Dec. 19,
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the United States Give Jordan $500 Million to Build a Wall on its Border with Iraq?
On January 8, 2019, just after President Donald Trump addressed the United States on the matter of his intent to construct another border wall, the Facebook page “The American Dreamer” shared the following meme: Text overlaid on an image
Truth or Fiction?→ Do You Have the Right as a Juror to Refuse to Enforce ‘Bad Law’?
On January 5, 2018, the Facebook page “Think Liberty” posted this photograph of a woman holding a sign: The sign and caption said: As a juror, you have the right to refuse to enforce any bad law in the case brought before you. #TheMoreYouK
Snopes→ Does Lack of Affordable Healthcare Kill More People in America Than Terrorism and Illegal Immigration?
A widely-shared Facebook meme challenged readers to reevaluate their political priorities about immigration and health care.
Truth or Fiction?→ United States President Donald Trump’s Immigration Speech
On the evening of January 8, 2019, United States President Donald Trump addressed the nation from the Oval Office on the topic of immigration and what he calls a humanitarian and national security crisis on the country’s southern border as a shut
FactCheck.org→ Story Cherry-Picks in Assessing CNN Ratings
Quick Take A story shared on Facebook uses selective TV ratings data to make the misleading claim that CNN was not one of the 10 most watched cable networks in 2018. Full Story A conservative website takes aim at CNN by misrepresenting recently releas
Climate Feedback→ We are not heading towards a “mini ice age”, contrary to claims in some media
Recently, alarming claims that we are heading towards a “mini ice age” have been popping up across the web. This was the subject of a widely discussed Metro article titled “A mini ice age could be on the way which means it will get very,
Truth or Fiction?→ Do ‘The Most Brilliant Scientists’ Not Vaccinate Their Own Children?
On January 7, 2019, the Facebook page for NaturalNews.com shared a video, the premise for which was contained in its title: “The most brilliant scientists working for the U.S. government do NOT vaccinate their own kids.” The same video was
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Democrats Put Up a Four-Mile Fence Around the DNC in 2016?
On December 28, 2018, a Facebook user commented on a debate over border wall funding by sharing a photograph of a purported four-mile long fence erected around the Democratic National Convention (DNC): Alongside the image, the user posted a comment: A
Lead Stories→ Very Old News: Sharifa Alkhateeb Talking About Using Public Schools to Convert America to Islam… In 1989
Did Sharifa Alkhateeb talk about converting America to Islam in a video? Yes, she did, back in 1989, several years before she died in 2004. For some reason a video clip of a speech she made at a conference thirty years ago in August 1989 went
Truth or Fiction?→ Did President Barack Obama Shut Down the Government to ‘Force Obamacare’ in 2013?
On December 29, 2018, a Facebook user posted a status update claiming that a federal shutdown over border wall funding was similar to one in 2013 — and it was purportedly initiated by President Barack Obama: This was nearly identical to a December 2
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the IRS Suspending Tax Refunds During the Government Shutdown?
On December 22, 2018 the United States government shut down, suspending the functions and payrolls of numerous federal agencies. As the shutdown continued into January 2019, concern and rumors began to spread over whether tax refunds issued by the Int
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Picture of Used Syringes Recovered in ‘Democrat Run’ San Francisco?
On December 20, 2018, the Facebook page Try Decaf shared a photograph, purportedly showing used needles “found on the streets of Democrat run San Francisco”: As of January 4, 2019, the image had been shared thousands of times. Angry users
FactCheck.org→ Social Security Falsehood Circulates Again
Quick Take Social media posts wrongly claim Democrats voted against the Social Security cost-of-living increase for 2019. Adjustments to Social Security benefits are not decided by lawmakers. Full Story A 2.8 percent increase in Social Security benefi
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Tweet Contrasting American and Japanese Generations Accurate?
On December 22, 2018, the Facebook page Ethan Berk shared an image referencing baby boomers, older people in Japan, and the attitudes of the two groups: The image involved several components, including commentary at the top, a purported tweet from BBC
Lead Stories→ Lead Stories Fastest At Debunking 2018 Top Hoaxes Identified By BuzzFeed News
A few days ago BuzzFeed's Craig Silverman published his annual overview of the top 50 biggest on-line hoaxes of the previous year. Just like last year we used this list as a basis to do some analysis to see how Lead Stories did compared to oth
Truth or Fiction?→ Are More Americans Killed Annually by Lack of Affordable Healthcare Than in Terror Attacks or Undocumented Immigrants?
On December 20 2018, the Facebook page Teanderthal Party posted the following meme about healthcare, “illegal immigration,” terror attacks, and the mortality rate in the United States: It stated: FACT: More Americans die every year from la
FactCheck.org→ False Claim of Immigrant Children Deaths Under Obama
Q: Is it accurate that “18 children died while in custody of Border Patrol” during the Obama administration? A: No. Prior to two children’s deaths in December, it had been more than a decade since a child died while in the custody of U.S.
Snopes→ Did President Trump Say U.S. Generals Were ‘Better Looking Than Tom Cruise, and Stronger’?
The 45th president's first public cabinet meeting of 2019 gave rise to a widely shared Facebook meme.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Teddy Roosevelt Stand Up for the First Black Female Postmaster?
In January 2019, the Facebook page History Hustle shared a meme about President Teddy Roosevelt and a woman named Minnie Cox, the first black female postmaster in the United States: The original post (which did not include any visible citations) said: