Soon after news broke of Iran’s missile strike on two military bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq, false photos and videos claiming to show the attack started to spread on social media. The speculation started on Twitter, where users shared old ph
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Snopes→ California Gorilla Treated for Cataract
Cataract surgeon Chris Heichel, who has performed thousands of operations, said it was his first surgery on a gorilla.
PolitiFact→ Fact-checking misinformation about Iran and a US military draft
Soon after the death of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani in an American drone strike, the website for the U.S. Selective Service System went down. "Due to the spread of misinformation, our website is experiencing high traffic volumes at this tim
Truth or Fiction?→ Aboriginal Flag on the Right, Australia Burning on the Left
On January 2 2019, Facebook user Benita Tahuri shared the following two images and a post — on the left, the Australian Aboriginal flag, and on the right, a photograph of the “sun and skyscape … as a consequence of the fires”:
FactCheck.org→ ‘Satire’ Misinforms on Impeachment Witnesses
Quick Take A bogus claim that Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House intelligence committee, paid impeachment witnesses “over $40 million” to testify is circulating online. That claim actually originated on a self-described satire website.
Truth or Fiction?→ Disinformation Inflames Tensions After United States Kills Iranian Commander
Late in the evening of January 2 2020, the United States announced that it had targeted and killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in Iraq in a major and dramatic escalation: Iran confirmed the death of one of its most active military fi
FactCheck.org→ Concert Photo Used in Bogus Report of Trump Rally
Quick Take A viral story falsely claims that President Donald Trump held a rally with “massive crowds” in Chicago, proving “Dems are turning to Trump.” There was no such rally. The story, which deceptively features a photo from
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Weird Twitter’ Account Spreads Video Distorting Joe Biden Campaign Speech
On January 1 2020, a Twitter user attempting to lobby criticism on Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden went a step further than a critique by posting a video that had been edited to remove context from one of his campaign speeches. The a
Snopes→ Police, Protesters Clash in New Year’s Rally in Hong Kong
Hundreds of thousands of people packed Hong Kong streets as the monthslong pro-democracy movement extended into 2020
Snopes→ Australia Sending Aid to Wildfire Towns as Death Toll Rises
Apocalyptic wildfires have left at least 17 people dead nationwide and sent thousands of residents and holidaymakers fleeing to the shoreline.
Truth or Fiction?→ Maine Fisherman Finds Late Brother’s Insurance Card While Trawling, 11 Years After His Death
On December 27 2019, Facebook user Frank Joseph Miliano shared a moving status update about an incidental find that day while working as a commercial fisherman in Maine. Miliano uploaded a photograph of a weatherbeaten identification card, and an expl
Truth or Fiction?→ Detainee Trying to Feed Her Baby or ‘The Nativity 2019’?
On December 24 2019, a photograph shared to Twitter circulated with the claim that it showed “a detainee trying to feed her baby,” heavily implying that the image showed victims of the Trump administration’s family separation policy
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Virginia Governor Has NOT Ordered Plans to Cut Electric, Phones, Internet for Gun Confiscations
Has the Virginia governor ordered plans to cut off electricity, telephones, and Internet communications ahead of statewide gun confiscation during the new year? No, that's not true: Gov. Ralph Northam has not issued any such order, and the fal
Snopes→ Christmas Festivities Begin in West Bank Town of Bethlehem
Thousands of Christian pilgrims descended on the West Bank town of Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, ahead of annual Christmas Eve celebrations.
FactCheck.org→ No Evidence Clinton Sent ‘Nooses’ Email to Brazile
Quick Take There is no evidence to support claims that Hillary Clinton sent fellow Democrat Donna Brazile a profane email in 2016, calling Donald Trump a “bastard” and saying “we’re all going to hang from nooses” if he win
FactCheck.org→ False Story Furthers Claim About Dem Defectors
Quick Take A made-up story that claims four Democratic senators are switching their party affiliation because of the impeachment is circulating on Facebook. But the story originated on a site that describes its content as satire. Full Story A story th
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Do You Know What’s Deplorable? Being Impeached’ Tweet
On December 18 2019, United States President Donald Trump was impeached on two counts by the House of Representatives; that night and the following day, screenshots and quotations of a tweet purportedly from his son Donald Trump Jr. to then-presidenti
FactCheck.org→ Headline Inflates Impeachment Impact on Dems
Quick Take A bogus headline claims that a “second Democrat” has left the party “in 24 hours” because of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. But one of them is a state senator who left the party a month ago and h
FactCheck.org→ The Whoppers of 2019
Summary As he has done since entering the political scene in 2015, Donald Trump dominates our list of whoppers of the year. We identified a top 10 of falsehoods and factual distortions from the president, beginning with several impeachment-related topi
Truth or Fiction?→ Folgers ‘Incest Ad’
If you frequent internet culture sites like Reddit or Fark.com, chances are you know the “Folgers incest ad” — and if you do, you either love or hate this polarizing commercial. If you have no idea what we’re talking about, read on
Truth or Fiction?→ Downward Tilting Toilet
On December 2019, Twitter and Facebook were flush with posts about a downward tilted toilet — purportedly designed to be unbearable to sit upon for more than five minutes — installed by employers to discourage lengthy bathroom breaks: BREAKI
Truth or Fiction?→ What Do You See in This Image of a Vehicle on Fire?
On December 10 2019, a Facebook user shared the following photographs of a vehicle on fire — one of which includes an apparent image of a figure in the flames: Alongside the two photographs, the user wrote: Caught a picture of this vehicle
FactCheck.org→ Meme Politicizes Progressive Insurance
Quick Take An outdated meme circulating on Facebook claims that Progressive, the insurance company, “is owned by Peter Lewis who donates millions” to the Democratic Party and left-leaning organizations. But Lewis died in 2013. Full Story A
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Supreme Court Can Extend Trump’s Term By Up To 3 Years If He’s Acquitted In The Senate’ Facebook Share
A December 12 2019 article with the headline, “Supreme Court Can Extend Trump’s Term By Up To 3 Years If He’s Acquitted In The Senate” spread widely on social media — particularly Facebook — in the days after it appeared. It cla
FactCheck.org→ Meme Makes Flawed Obama, Trump Comparison
Quick Take Facebook users are recirculating a meme from May that makes misleading economic comparisons between Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. The meme includes inaccurate or selective information about Obama’s record on jobs and econom
FactCheck.org→ Another Dubious Trump Attack on ‘Fake News’
President Donald Trump accused CNN of manipulating video to make it appear that “massive crowds” protested his decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Trump called it “fake news as usual,” but we couldn’t
FactCheck.org→ Baseless Clinton Conspiracy Theory Still Circulating
Quick Take A Macedonian website is peddling a baseless Hillary Clinton conspiracy theory that has amassed tens of thousands of shares on Facebook. The story implies that Clinton was involved in the deaths of two Baltimore-area law enforcement officers,
FactCheck.org→ How Old Claims Compare to IG Report
On Dec. 9, the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General released its report on the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into whether individuals associated with the Trump campaign were coordinating with Russia’s inte
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Uber Receive 235 Reports of Rape and 5,981 Reports of Sexual Abuse?
On December 8 2019, the Facebook page “Feminists United” shared a screenshot of the following tweet about 235 reports of rape purportedly received by Uber in a year: For every man that doesn't understand why women are fed up. Last
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Michael Jordan is NOT Running for US Senate as a Republican
Is Michael Jordan running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican? Not, that's not true: This is a fake claim originally made by a website that is part of a network that runs satirical stories. It was copied from the satirical site with no mention
FactCheck.org→ A Misleading Take on Immigrant, Veterans Health Care
Quick Take A long-circulating headline on social media misleadingly tells users that Democrats chose to “vote down” a health records system for veterans while approving the same for immigrants who cross the border illegally. The bill in que
Truth or Fiction?→ Do You Need to Remove Barcodes from Donated Toys Because People Exchange Them for Cigarettes and Beer?
On December 9 2019, a number of news outlets published a syndicated article with the headlines “Donating Toys This Holiday Season? You Might Want to Remove the Barcode,” or, alternately, “Remove The Barcode If You’re Donating
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Butt Plug’ Christmas Tree in Paris
In December 2019 a number of Facebook users shared photographs and memes depicting a purportedly modernist Christmas tree in Paris, France — which also happened to resemble a giant version of a certain type of sex toy: In the post above, atop a p
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Jeff Bezos Didn’t Donate $100M LOL, He Took $100M of Amazon Stock and ‘Donated’ it to His Own Charity’ Meme
On November 25 2019, Twitter user @TheyCallMeChew tweeted about the controversial donation by Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos of nearly $100 million to homelessness charities, claiming that the donation was not what it seemed: Jeff Bezos
Truth or Fiction?→ A Fun Series of Events in Finland
On December 3 2019, Twitter user Matt Bruenig tweeted about a “fun series of events in Finland”: A fun series of events in Finland: 1. Postal service cuts pay of 700 sorters. 2. Strike called. 60k workers join in solidarity, shutting do
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Whole Foods Holiday Food Drive’ Post
A December 2 2019 Facebook status update excoriating Amazon and Whole Foods over a purported holiday food drive (and advising customers to move unpurchased items to the “donations” section) struck a chord and racked up tens of thousands of
Snopes→ Trump Administration Tightens Food Stamp Work Requirements
The Trump administration is tightening work requirements for the federal food stamp program in a move that will slash benefits for hundreds of thousands of people.
Truth or Fiction?→ Avoid #GivingTuesday Scams
“Giving Tuesday” or #GivingTuesday posts are all over social media the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, but as is often the case when cash is flowing and donations are a click away, scammers and profiteers have made their way into the donations
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Private Prisons Suing States for Millions of Contract Quotas?
A long-popular October 2018 Facebook post continued spreading through late 2019, alleging that private prisons were suing states over unmet contract quotas promising a minimum number of profitable inmates. A status update read “SO WE JUST NOT GO
Snopes→ Bear Blamed for Car Damages in Alaska Airport Parking Lot
A bear has been blamed for a pair of vehicle break-ins at an Alaska airport parking lot that resulted in thousands of dollars in damage to one car.