Summary It’s Election Day, which our longtime readers know means it’s time for our just-for-fun awards. Here we recognize some of the campaign ads that made an impression on us — good, bad or otherwise — during the 2020 election
Search Results (4077) for: black
FactCheck.org→ Closing Arguments of the Presidential Campaign
After months of campaigning, President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made their final pitches to voters at campaign rallies in key swing states and on TV airwaves. Here we fact-check claims the candidates made in rallies on
Truth or Fiction?→ Pennsylvania Bakery Cookie Poll’s ‘Landslide’ Result Goes Viral
Less than a day before Election Day (November 3 2020), “PA bakery cookie poll” spiked as a search term and a topic of interest on social media: Let’s just say the cookie has red frosting “Pa. bakery's 'cookie poll,' w
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Covid-19 Pandemic Was NOT Planned By Bill Gates And 5G Does NOT Cause It
Was the COVID-19 pandemic pre-planned with help from billionaire Bill Gates and have the illnesses associated with it been spread by 5G technology? No, that's not true: The claims made in the "Covid-19 Genocide of 2020" video are a rehash
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID Virus NOT Man-made And Vaccine NOT Forced On Unwilling
Is the U.S. pushing an under-tested, dangerous coronavirus vaccine on unwilling people as part of a depopulation agenda? And was the virus man-made and weaponized in U.S. and Chinese labs? No, these claims are untrue. There are no plans t
Snopes→ Halloween in the Pandemic: Costumes and Candy, at a Distance
Ghosts, skeletons, princesses and black cats roamed the streets as usual this Halloween, but they kept their distance, wore face coverings and carried hand sanitizer in their quest for treats.
Snopes→ Obama: Trump Failed to Take Pandemic, Presidency Seriously
Calling Joe Biden his “brother,” Barack Obama accused Donald Trump of failing to take the coronavirus pandemic and the presidency seriously as Democrats leaned on America's first Black president to energize Black voters in battleground Michigan on
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Dave Ramsey Warn Facebook Users About Biden’s Tax Plan?
In late October 2020, a number of Facebook users attributed a post about Joe Biden’s tax plan to money guru Dave Ramsey, instantly imparting far more weight and authority to its claims (archived): In the screenshot, an October 21 2020 post by
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘We Are the Thin Blue Line’
An attack by Philadelphia police against a Black family that came to light online was distorted and repackaged as pro-law enforcement propaganda (which we have seen referred to as “copaganda”) on various social media platforms by separate
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Percy Long Prong’ Calling Card: Racy Relic, or Out of Context Hoax?
An October 15 2020 post to Reddit’s r/myfavoritemurder, titled “Found under floorboards[,] Percy Long Prong’s business card,” introduced a battered but risque calling card for a male sex worker purportedly catering to widows, s
The Dispatch→ Does ‘Originalism’ Mean Adhering to the Three-Fifths Compromise?
a.image2.image-link.image2-971-1456 { padding-bottom: 66.68956043956044%; padding-bottom: min(66.68956043956044%, 971px); width: 100%; height: 0; } a.image2.image-link.image
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Toddler Lost Amid ‘Violent Riots’ In Philadelphia — Child Was Pulled From SUV During A Police Stop
Does a photograph show a police officer rescuing a toddler wandering alone amid "violent riots" in Philadelphia? No, that's not true: Officers pulled the barefoot child from the backseat of an SUV after smashing its windows and removing t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Kamala Harris Did NOT Say ‘Looters Are Just Feeding Their Hungry Kids’
Did Kamala Harris say "looters are just feeding their hungry kids"? No, there's no evidence the Democratic vice presidential nominee ever said that. The claim contradicts Harris' public statements that looting is a crime, while peaceful p
Truth or Fiction?→ Nutella PR and Accidentally Racist Halloween ‘Ghosts’
Around October 29 2020, a purported Nutella Puerto Rico (@NutellaPR) Halloween post — an apparent screengrab from Facebook or Instagram featuring Ku Klux Klan-like ghosts — began circulating on Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook: Some posts ab
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Facebook Did NOT Ban This ‘President Trump Campaign Ad’ — Which Isn’t Really A Trump Ad
Did Facebook ban this "President Trump campaign ad"? No, that's not true. It goes without saying that videos playing on a platform proclaiming they are banned by that platform have not been banned. Those behind such posts use them as a wa
Truth or Fiction?→ As U.S. Election Looms, Agitprop Floods Social Media Platforms
In the days leading up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the disinformation that has been a hallmark of the Trump campaign, then administration, then campaign again reached new heights with political smears, Soviet-style weaponized conspiracy t
Truth or Fiction?→ Were People Left Stranded After a Trump Rally in Omaha?
The aftermath of United States President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Omaha, Nebraska drew as much attention for potentially affecting his supporters’ health than the event itself. Social media posts following the October 27 2020 event
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Trump Administration Claim Credit for ‘Ending the COVID-19 Pandemic’ in October 2020?
On October 27 2020, rumors appeared that the Trump administration credited themselves in a press release with “ending the COVID-19 pandemic” as a first-term achievement: WTF headline of the year? The White House science office listed &q
FactCheck.org→ In Pennsylvania Rallies, Trump Distorts Voting Issues
In the swing state of Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump repeatedly rattled off false and misleading claims about ballots and voting in arguing to his supporters “the only way we can lose, in my opinion, is massive fraud.” On Oct. 26, Tru
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Democrats ‘Kill a Bill’ Helping Gold Star Families to Help Immigrants Instead?
A 2019 attack by United States President Donald Trump against Democratic lawmakers in New York state was regurgitated and repurposed online again in 2020 — this time, in order to attack the party on the national level. The issue unfolded in Apri
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Over 220 Million Americans Have NOT Died From COVID-19 In The Last Several Months
Did over 220 million Americans die in the last several months from COVID-19? No, that's not true: That number is way too high. According to data provided by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Johns Hopkins University
Lead Stories→ Student’s Chart Explaining Wild Conspiracies Trolled To Spread More Conspiracies
Abbie Richards, a climate science student in the Netherlands, was looking with bewilderment at the state of her home country of the United States. So many conspiracy theories echoing, particularly ahead of the election. Struggling to wran
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Data Do NOT ‘Reveal’ Hospitals Have Counted Heart Attacks as COVID-19 Deaths
Does Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data "reveal" that COVID-19 death totals have been exaggerated by hospitals counting heart attacks as COVID deaths? No, that's not true: Hospitals don't fill out death certificates, doctors
Full Fact→ A video claiming to be from 1956 did not predict Covid-19
We’ve been asked to look into a Facebook post which claims to show a film from 1956 which apparently predicts the Covid-19 pandemic. This video is not from 1956, nor was it made prior to the pandemic starting. It was first posted online in Februa
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden Call Trump ‘George’ During a Live Video?
A tweet from an official for United States President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign highlighted a widespread disinformation campaign that hinged on attempting to manufacture a “gaffe” to pin on Democratic Party presidential nomi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Election Judge In Maryland Marking On A Ballot In A Yahoo Livestream Was NOT Committing Voter Fraud
Did an election judge in Maryland, seen marking on a ballot in a clip from a Yahoo Finance livestream, commit voter fraud? No, that's not true: Gilberto Zelaya, public information officer for the Montgomery County Board of Elections, told
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Fake Melania’ Rumor Spreads Again After Photograph From White House Lawn
On October 24 2020, Twitter user Zack Bornstein shared a photograph of President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump… or was it? The only thing I'll miss from this administration is them swapping in new Melanias and just pretending we won&#
Full Fact→ How poverty rates are cherry-picked to score political points
“There are roughly 14 million people living in relative poverty this year. In 2000, there were roughly 14 million people living in relative poverty. Why were Labour not able to fix the problems of relative poverty when they were in power?”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Term ‘Hungover’ Did NOT Originate From Drunken Sailors Sleeping Over A Rope
Did the term "hungover" originate from a practice of allowing drunks to drape their bodies across a rope overnight for the price of a penny in Victorian England? No, that's not entirely true: The term hungover -- and its noun form, hangov
FactCheck.org→ Photo of Man in Halloween Costume Isn’t Mark Kelly
Quick Take Social media posts, including one retweeted by Donald Trump Jr., falsely claim that a yearbook photo shows Democratic Senate candidate Mark Kelly dressed as Hitler for Halloween. Kelly’s campaign and several of his former classmates to
Truth or Fiction?→ Mike Pence, LGBTQ Communities, and ‘a Radical Social Agenda’
Vice President Mike Pence’s political history drew renewed attention online in October 2020 as a meme criticizing him spread online in October 2020. The graphic, which was originally posted by poet Andrea Gibson on Instagram, reads: Mike Pence s
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Women Start Shaving Their Legs Due to a 1910s Marketing Push by Razor Manufacturers?
An October 14 2020 Facebook post about the purported origins of women shaving their legs quickly became popular; it depicted a screenshot of a conversation in which one participant ascribes “capitalism” as a motive for a “1910s”
AFP Fact Check→ Michigan kidnap plotters not members of Antifa or BLM: AG’s office
Facebook posts shared more than 20,000 times claim men arrested by the FBI for plotting to kidnap the governor of Michigan are “ANTIFA and BLM anarchists.” This is false; the Michigan attorney general’s office confirmed none of the defendants are
Truth or Fiction?→ Jamie Lee Curtis, ‘Irregardless,’ and Merriam-Webster
On October 22 2020, Upworthy published a post (“Jamie Lee Curtis isn’t happy about Merriam-Webster recognizing ‘irregardless’ as a word”) which — as might be expected — was shared by numerous social media acco
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the Final 2020 Presidential Debate
Summary President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden faced off in the final presidential debate of the campaign. We found: Trump accused Biden of receiving “$3.5 million from Russia.” There’s no evidence of that. Biden said there
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Trump Campaign Send Armed Men to a Polling Location in Florida?
A pair of armed security guards’ appearance near a voting location in St. Petersburg, Florida drew concern from observers both on the scene and online, as the story mushroomed on social media into a sign of something more sinister. According to
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump ‘It Was a TUCK!’ Tweet
On October 21 2020, Twitter user @TeaPainUSA (and many others) shared the following screenshot, which was purportedly a tweet from United States President Donald Trump on the matter of his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s just-revealed interactio
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Photo of Trump and His Children With ‘His Pedophile Buddy Jeffrey Epstein’?
On October 20 2020, the Facebook page for “Occupy Democrats” shared the following photograph of a much younger Donald Trump with now-infamous pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein — alongside a claim it showed Trump bringing his chil
FactCheck.org→ Trump on the Stump
We reviewed all of President Donald Trump’s speeches at campaign rallies over five days, from Oct. 12 to Oct. 16. There were six speeches and combined, Trump spoke for more than eight hours, averaging about one hour and 20 minutes per speech. Bel
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Photo Does NOT Show Donald Trump Taking His Children To ‘Hang Out’ With Jeffrey Epstein And Not Protecting Them
Did Donald Trump take his children to "hang out with his pedophile buddy Jeffrey Epstein" and fail to protect the Trump children? No, this photo was taken at the grand opening of the Harley Davidson Cafe in New York City on October 19, 19