Is John F. Kennedy Jr. alive and will he make a public return to join President Donald Trump as his vice presidential running mate in 2020? No, that's not true: It is a cornerstone of a conspiracy myth promoted by QAnon followers who believe t
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Truth or Fiction?→ Is This the ‘Newest and Clearest’ Photo of Pluto?
On September 14 2019, the Facebook page “Science Porn” shared the following image, claiming it was the “newest” and “clearest” photograph of Pluto: On Twitter, a space-and-science focused account shared the phot
Washington Post→ Eric Trump’s Four-Pinocchio claim that the Obamacare website cost more than Trump’s border barrier
The president's son also claimed he was quoting the actor Tim Allen, but that's wrong, too.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Henry T Sampdon (or Sampson) Was NOT The Inventor of the Cellphone
Did Henry T Sampson (or Sampdon) invent the modern cell phone? No, that's not true: Sampson invented something called the gamma-electric cell which produces electrical power out of (nuclear) radiation but it has nothing to do with telecommunic
Snopes→ Solid Gold Toilet Stolen from Winston Churchill’s Birthplace
A unique solid gold toilet that was part of an art exhibit has been stolen from the magnificent home in England where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born.
Truth or Fiction?→ The Story of Gary Box on 9/11
On September 13 2019 a Reddit user shared the following post (“[His] Name is Gary Box”) to r/HumansBeingBros: Is name was Gary Box from HumansBeingBros Above a photograph of a firefighter in a tunnel, an apparent s
FactCheck.org→ Yang’s Top-Gun Tale
Making a point about Defense Department waste, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang related a secondhand story about a Navy fighter pilot who said that airmen routinely dumped fuel into the Pacific Ocean at the end of the fiscal year as a way
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – Donald Trump exaggerates US energy independence
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Donald Trump exaggerates US energy independence President Donald Trump, eager to make good on a campaign promise to end the United States’ reliance on foreign energy, claimed a premature victory. "We a
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Emmett Till’s Sign Vandalized Again, 35 Days After it Was Replaced?
In September 2019, a BlackNewsAlerts.com article headlined, “Emmett Till’s Memorial Sign Shot Up Again 35 Days After Being Replaced” circulated on Facebook: After 35 days of being replaced for vandalism, the memorial sign of Emmett Till
FactCheck.org→ Marx, Engels Quote Falsely Attributed to Reagan
Quick Take A meme circulating on Facebook wrongly attributes a statement about guns to former President Ronald Reagan. The quotation is actually from Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, co-authors of The Communist Manifesto. Full Story In recent weeks, so
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man Decide to Use Drawings of ‘Cat Heads’ as His Official Signature?
On September 7 2019, Facebook user Rich Preston shared a series of screenshots telling the firsthand story of a man who purportedly used little cat head drawings as his license signature because he thought it would be funny, but regretted the decision
Truth or Fiction?→ Cornel Nistorescu 9/11 ‘Ode to America’ Editorial
On September 11 2019 a Facebook user shared an editorial credited to Romanian newspaper columnist Cornel Nistorescu. Alongside a photograph showing black smoke billowing out of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, the post was prefaced with comm
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the September Democratic Debate
Summary The false and exaggerated claims in the third Democratic debate included: Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro accused former Vice President Joe Biden of “forgetting what you said two minutes ago” on Biden’s hea
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ilhan Omar Did NOT Walk Out Of 9/11 Memorial Service
Did Ilhan Omar walk out of a 9/11 memorial service in Washington? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to fool Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that are clearly marked
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Beto O’Rourke Did NOT Say: Yes, Democrats Are Coming For Your Hand Guns
Did Beto O'Rourke say in the Democratic debate Democrats are coming for your hand guns? No, that's not true: The former Texas congressman did say if elected president, he would push to make illegal AR-15s, AK-47 and other weapons "designed to
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ICE Get Caught Shopping for ‘Urban Warfare’ Training Facilities?
A Newsweek story published on September 11, 2019 revived fears about the possible intentions of the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after it showed that the agency failed to redact documents related to “urban warfa
Truth or Fiction?→ Did North Carolina’s GOP Trick Democrats into Attending a 9/11 Memorial, Then Pass an Unpopular Healthcare Bill?
On September 11 2019, a Facebook user shared the following post (archived here), which claimed in a three-part commentary that North Carolina Republicans used the anniversary of 9/11 to “trick” Democrats into missing a last-minute vote: &
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Texas Man Arrested for Dressing as an ‘Alien’ and Abducting People?
One of the more insidious factors in the spread of online disinformation has been the advent of “satirical” blogs that spread or republish each other’s content, among them World News Daily Report. As Buzzfeed reported, the blog was r
Truth or Fiction?→ Starbucks 20-Ounce Venti vs. 12-Ounce Grande Video Experiment
On August 11 2019 the Facebook page Mercadotecnia Total shared the following video (translated title: “Effective Marketing: Venti vs Large @ Starbucks”): That iteration racked up more than five million views in just one month, and a co
Lead Stories→ Fake News: ADHD Is NOT A FAKE Disease Invented By Big Pharma To Drug Children For Profit
Is ADHD is a fake disease invented by Big Pharma to drug children for profit? No, that's not true: While there may be examples of misdiagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, scientific evidence shows it is real and that many pati
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Nail Stripe’ a Sign of Melanoma?
A Washington state’s barber college story about a warning for a client is true — but readers should be aware that it is a republishing of an account first published in 2017. The college’s Facebook post, which has been shared more than 1
PolitiFact→ Revisions to jobs data: What you need to know
During the dog days of August — as commentators were already wondering whether the nearly decade-long economic recovery was on its last legs — government number-crunchers made an announcement that jolted economists. The Bureau of Labor Stat
PolitiFact→ Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren: A short guide to big differences
The third Democratic presidential debate puts former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren on the same stage for the first time since these debates began. Based on what we’ve seen so far, if the candidates don’t mix it up, the
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Kamala Harris Did NOT Say "Our Military Are Soulless Cowards. Their Budget Must Be Cut."
Did Kamala Harris say that the U.S. military are "soulless cowards" that deserve to have their bugdet cut? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to fool Trump supporters and Republicans into sharin
Truth or Fiction?→ Last Sunset 9/10/2001 Photograph
An image submitted to Reddit’s r/pics and r/interestingasfuck on September 10 2019 titled “Last sunset 9/10/2001” appeared without additional text or information, rapidly climbing to the top of the site’s r/all page on the eig
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Canadian Man ‘Euthanized’ After Not Receiving Enough Home Care Funding?
A 41-year-old Canadian man’s choice to undergo assisted suicide in August 2019 was used as blog fodder by an anti-abortion group based out of England. Sean Tagert first drew media coverage in September 2018, when he spoke to the Canadian Broadca
Truth or Fiction?→ United States Air Traffic on September 11, 2001
In September 2019, approaching the eighteenth anniversary of September 11th 2011, a Reddit user shared the following GIF purportedly depicting United States air traffic during and after the attacks to r/DamnThatsInteresting: U.S. Air Traffi
FactCheck.org→ Meme Misleads on Walmart Gun Sales
Quick Take A social media meme inaccurately claims that Walmart will no longer sell rifles. Walmart stopped selling “military-style rifles such as the AR-15,” in 2015, and has announced it will no longer sell ammunition for “military-style we
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This the Only Existing Footage Of the First Plane Hitting the World Trade Center?
As the anniversary of September 11 2001 approached in 2019, a video called “The Only Existing Footage Of 1st Plane Hitting WTC” circulated on social media in remembrance of a brief but pivotal moment in American history — but it’s
FactCheck.org→ Biden’s Record on Iraq War
Twice in the last five weeks, Joe Biden has claimed that despite voting to authorize military force against Iraq in 2002, he opposed the Iraq war from “the moment” it began. That’s not accurate, and Biden now says he misspoke. The pub
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Trump Have a 94 Percent Approval Rating with Republicans?
On September 9 2019, President Donald Trump used his Twitter account to push a claim of record popularity that has already been debunked by several news organizations. For the fourth time in three months, Trump boasted that he had a “94 percent&
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Pastor Die After 30 Days of Fasting to Beat Jesus Christ’s Record?
In September 2019, an article with the headline “Pastor Dies After 30 Days of Fasting To Beat Jesus Record” appeared in several Facebook groups and users’ feeds: A South African pastor, Alfred Ndlovu has died of malnutrition after go
PolitiFact→ Fact-check: Bahamas evacuees without visas ordered off US-bound ferry
Hurricane Dorian destroyed the homes of about 70,000 people in the Bahamas, and the death toll continues to climb. In the aftermath, some Bahamians are trying to come to the United States and in particular Florida, where about 20,000 people have Bahami
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the United States the 118th Safest Country in the World — Down From 65th in 2018?
A September 3 2019 tweet (shared to Facebook the following day) contained the alarming claim that the United States was ranked the 118th safest country in the world in 2019, dropping from the 65th spot in 2018: The United States is the 118th safest
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Detective Who Led Jeffrey Epstein Investigation Die after a ‘Brief Illness’ At 50 in September 2019?
In early September 2019, a large number of Facebook users shared an article (archived here), compellingly titled “Detective Who Led Epstein Investigation Died After ‘Brief Illness’ At 50.” Based on the visible shares to Facebo
Truth or Fiction?→ Palindrome Week, September 2019
On September 9 2019 and subsequently, a “palindrome week” meme circulated on Twitter: Above 10 dates ranging from September 10 to 19 2019, text read: PALINDROME WEEK Each date reads the same backwards and forwards for the next 10 days.
PolitiFact→ Arlen Parsa – Evidence shows most of the 47 men in famous 'Declaration of Independence' painting were slaveholders
The Truth-o-Meter says: True | Evidence shows most of the 47 men in famous 'Declaration of Independence' painting were slaveholders As the nation observes the 400th anniversary of slavery, a Chicago documentary filmmaker tweeted about the painting
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Boy Did NOT Die For 3 Minutes, Did NOT Say Jesus Was Black, Did NOT Meet Allah
Did a white Christian boy named Bobby Anderson or Billy Landers die for three minutes on the operating table and did he come back to life with tales from the afterlife shocking his father? Did he fail to spot Jesus but see "Mohammad and Allah"
Truth or Fiction?→ United States Officials Blame ‘Confusion’ After Viral Video of Hurricane Evacuees Turned Away
As video spread of more than a hundred Hurricane Dorian evacuees from the Bahamas being told they could not escape the damage by coming to the United States on September 9, 2019 if they did not have a visa, immigration officials blamed a local ferry c
FactCheck.org→ Buttigieg Wrong About Climate Change’s Effect on Oceans
In making his case for taking swift action on climate change, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg inaccurately said that “we could lose half the world’s oxygen because of what’s going on in the oceans.” Scientists say that