Quirky or uplifting news was in high demand as the COVID-19 pandemic dragged on, which was likely the reason that a Facebook post (“Venice … in quarantine,” archived here) purportedly showing flamingos in the deserted canals of Venic
Search Results (291) for: pdt
Truth or Fiction?→ The Viral Death of Kat Restin
Segments of Twitter are alight with rumors surrounding the April 2020 death of Virginia teenager Kat Restin and the alleged circumstances regarding her demise. An obituary for Restin, 19, was published on April 23 2020. Restin’s Obituary In that
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Dear Georgia IDGAF’ Meme
On April 21 2020, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp made the controversial decision to “re-open” some of his states non-essential businesses in spite of a spreading COVID-19 pandemic; that night, a meme addressed to Georgia residents advised, &#
FactCheck.org→ Constitutional Experts: Trump Lacks Power to ‘Open Up the States’
Constitutional experts say President Donald Trump is wrong that he, not governors, has the power to “open up the states” where businesses were closed or residents were ordered to stay at home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. On Apri
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Kroger Did NOT Offer Chance For A Shopping Spree Giveaway Amid COVID-19
Did Kroger decide on Easter to give back to the community, during these hard times, and offer the opportunity for a one-hour shopping spree free of charge? No, that's not true: This is a scam that's been promoted by an unverified Kroger.com Fa
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Coronavirus Challenge’ on Social Media Prompting Teens to Infect Themselves With COVID-19?
Amid wall-to-wall reporting on a novel coronavirus and COVID-19 in late March 2020, articles breathlessly claimed that a “coronavirus challenge” or “COVID-19 challenge” was spreading on platforms like TikTok and Twitter, inciti
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Black People Are NOT Immune To The Dangers Of Coronavirus
Are black people more resistant to COVID-19 and not susceptible to death from the virus? No, that's not true: News reports and social media posts from those who've contracted the virus, not to mention official documentation gathered by the Wor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tom Hanks Did NOT Pass Away, Did NOT Confess Admiration For Trump
Did actor Tom Hanks pass away after confessing his admiration for President Trump? No, that's not true: The story is a hoax from a satirical website that features "death hoaxes for your thoughts and prayers." The claim originated in an article
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Cristiano Ronaldo Did NOT Buy Private Island To Escape Coronavirus Crisis
Did Cristiano Ronaldo buy a private island to escape the coronavirus crisis? No, that's not true: The legendary Portuguese soccer star has been hit with another fake story as the coronavirus threatens people around the globe. Social media post
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tom Hanks, Others NOT Arrested For Pedophilia Or Other Crimes in QAnon Conspiracy
Was Tom Hanks arrested for pedophilia? No, this is not true: Hanks, who was being treated after contracting the novel coronavirus, was not arrested for pedophilia and being held in a hotel room in Australia as claimed as part of the QAnon cons
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Soldiers Are NOT On Streets Of Philly, NOT Hauling Off COVID-19 Patients To FEMA Camps
Does a video of military troops walking on a sidewalk show U.S. soldiers on a Philadelphia street preparing to invoke martial law on the city and round up citizens to be "hauled off to FEMA camps" because of the coronavirus crisis? No, that's
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Australian Hospital Staff Did NOT Roll In A Wilson Volleyball To Keep Tom Hanks Company In Quarantine
Did Australian Gold Coast hospital staff roll in a Wilson volleyball to keep actor Tom Hanks company in quarantine? No, that's not true: The story is from a satirical online newspaper that some people have described as Australia's version of "
FactCheck.org→ Pence Moved Slowly in Combating HIV Outbreak
In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, newly crowned coronavirus point man Mike Pence spun the facts in claiming he moved decisively when confronted with a disturbing HIV outbreak in a rural Indiana county when he was governor of the state.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Evidence That Instant Noodles Are Linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Are instant noodles linked to chronic inflammation, weight gain, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's? No, that's partly false: While ramen noodle consumption has been linked to heart diseases and diabetes in women in at least one study, there is no ev
Lead Stories→ Fake News: FBI Agent, Who Did NOT Expose Hillary Clinton Cover-up, Found Dead
Was an FBI agent who exposed a HIllary Clinton's "Operation Fast and Furious" cover up found dead? No, that's not true: FBI Special Agent David Raynor shot himself in front of police officers who rushed to his estranged wife's Maryland home in
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘$60 Women’s Self-Defense Kit Sold by a Black-Owned Business’ Facebook Post
A popular November 17 2019 Facebook post purportedly shows a women’s self-defense kit in the style of a makeup bag, and the collection of stylish items was described as being sold by a black-owned business: Its image showed iridescent brass kn
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an Irish Suffragist Follow Winston Churchill for a Week Ringing a Bell Whenever He Tried to Speak?
In November 2019, the Facebook page “Cheerful Nihilism” shared the following meme, about historical tensions between a suffragist from Ireland named Mary Maloney and Winston Churchill: Above a black and white image of a man on a stage, a
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Tyrese Gibson NOT Hospitalized In Critical Condition
Was actor/singer Tyrese Gibson hospitalized in "critical condition" after his movie was banned in theatres? No, that's not true: a sensation-seeking YouTube channel took an article about Gibson being in hospital and recovering after an exhaust
Truth or Fiction?→ The Sad Backstory of the ‘Woman Yelling at a Cat’ Meme
On October 26 2019, a Facebook user shared a PSA involving the popular meme often called “woman yelling at a cat,” stating that the image’s ubiquity led them to research the origins of the image: After seeing this image on many diffe
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Gucci Mane Did NOT File For Divorce After Finding Out Wife Keyshia Ka’Oir Smashed Jeezy a Decade Ago
Did Rapper Gucci Mane file for divorce after finding out his wife slept with his rival Young Jeezy a decade ago? No, that's not true: the story was put out almost a month ago by a site that regularily puts out false news (including death hoaxe
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Taco Bell Meat Contaminated with Metal Shavings?
On October 15 2019, an Imgur user shared the following screenshot of a purported Newsweek article, which appeared to be reporting on a Taco Bell recall involving meat contaminated with metal shavings: Its submitter’s title joked that “the
Lead Stories→ Old News: Rapper Kurtis Blow NOT In Critical Condition After Emergency Heart Surgery
Is rapper Kurtis Blow in critical condition after emergency heart surgery and does he need your prayers right now? No, that's not true: a viral YouTube video making that claim was published in October 2019 but it is just a rehash of a (real) s
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Actor Tim Allen Did NOT Say: ‘President Trump’s Wall Costs Less Than The ObamaCare Website. Let That Sink In, America’
Did actor Tim Allen say "President Trump's wall costs less than the ObamaCare website. Let that sink in, America"? No, that's not true: Tim Allen's publicist confirmed to Lead Stories that the "Home Improvement" star never said those words. Th
Truth or Fiction?→ Will 154,000,000 Pieces of Plastic from Christmas Crackers in the UK Wind Up in the Ocean in a Single Year?
In late September and early October 2019, a very specific claim involving Christmas crackers (a tradition involving devices called “party poppers” in some countries; they are made from cardboard and gunpowder, generally contain confetti or
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Greenland’ Boat in Arctic Ice Picture
On September 25 2019, a Reddit user shared a dramatic image to r/pics, titled simply “Greenland”: Greenland from pics Six days earlier, a different user shared the image to r/MostBeautiful, earning a fraction of th
Truth or Fiction?→ Storm Cloud in Benevento
On September 25 2019 a Reddit user shared a thread titled “Storm Cloud Benevento, Italy” to the r/pics subreddit: Storm Cloud Benevento, Italy. from pics On Reddit, the image quickly moved to the top of r/all. Its
Truth or Fiction?→ Tekashi 69 ‘Snitched’ and Martha Stewart Didn’t?
On September 22 2019, Facebook’s “Man Page” shared the following meme, declaring that hip-hop artist Tekashi 69 — also called 6ix9ine — is “a snitch” and lifestyle personality Martha Stewart is not: On the left s
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘School Shooting Hoodies’ With Faux Bullet Holes Real?
In September 2019 a Facebook user shared the following screenshots (archived here) of a since-deleted tweet, depicting three hoodies (Virginia Tech, Columbine, and Sandy Hook) and a comment — “Ok, this is a NEED”: A link to the orig
Truth or Fiction?→ Tim Allen Meme: ‘Obamacare Website Costs More Than Trump’s Wall’
On September 14 2019, the Facebook page “ChairmanSizer” shared the following meme (archived here), claiming that actor and comedian Tim Allen was quoted as claiming that maintaining the official Affordable Care Act’s website costs mo
Truth or Fiction?→ Jim Carrey Depression Meme: ‘I Believe Depression is Legitimate. But…’
A July 5 2019 Instagram post purportedly quoting actor Jim Carrey on depression appeared on Facebook in screenshot form. The original featured an image of the actor and attributed the following quote to him: View this post on Instagram
Truth or Fiction?→ Instagram Copyright Hoax
A recurring online hoax spread even further on August 20 2019, when a wave of high-profile people posted a fake, long-debunked notice about Instagram’s terms of use that eventually ended up on Secretary of Energy Rick Perry’s Instagram ac
FactCheck.org→ The Epstein Connections Fueling Conspiracy Theories
Summary In the absence of information about how sex offender Jeffrey Epstein managed to die in prison by an apparent suicide on Aug. 10, outlandish conspiracy theories have cropped up across the political spectrum. Among the more prominent theories
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Mitch McConnell Campaign Did NOT Say ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ After Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Blasts Disturbing Groping Pic
Did Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's campaign say "boys will be boys" in its reply to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's criticism of a tweeted photo of teen volunteers groping a life-size cardboard cut-out of her? No, that's not true: "B
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Ivanka Trump Photographed Wearing a Swastika Logo?
On July 23 2019, the Twitter account @ScenarioLENS shared the following image of Ivanka Trump, posing with a law enforcement agent in what looked like a strange, stylized swastika sweater: What the hell is she wearing?! pic.twitter.com/G3IZVFipkn &md
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘That’s One Way to Escape the Police’ Ferrari Video
On July 19, the Facebook page “LADbible” shared video of a risky driving maneuver by a Ferrari, displaying the label “That’s one way to escape the police… 😱🚨”: The smooth and highly realistic footage seemed
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Rashida Tlaib Did NOT Tweet "Americans have spent decades raping and pillaging my people. What goes around comes around. #FridayFeeling"
Did congresswoman Rashida Tlaib send a tweet that said "Americans have spent decades raping and pillaging my people. What goes around comes around. #FridayFeeling" and did she quickly delete it afterwards? No, that's not true: the tweet was pu
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘YesJuliet’ Instagram Murder Rumors
On July 14 2019, rumors began spreading on Instagram, Reddit, Discord, 4Chan, Twitter, and other social media sites about purported disturbing posts shared by Instagram user @YesJuliet about an alleged murder of a 17-year-old girl named Bianca Devins
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Actor Kevin Chamberlin Did NOT Pass Away Due To Cardiac Arrest
Did actor Kevin Chamberlin pass away following a cardiac arrest? No, that's not true: rumors of his death are circulating on social media but he took to twitter himself to reassure everyone he did not die. A post has been circulating in the fo
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Gyro Drop Amusement Park Ride Video Is NOT Real
Is the Gyro Drop amusement park ride, as shown in a viral video, real, with riders rapidly twirled, dangled and dropped? No, that's not true: There is a real Gyro Drop ride at a South Korean amusement park, but the viral video first posted on
Lead Stories→ Art: NOT A Real Video of Mark Zuckerberg Revealing The Truth About Facebook
Is a video of Mark Zuckerberg admitting he has total control of the stolen data of billions of people thanks to Spectre real? No, it is a deepfake made for an art project that seeks to tests Facebook's policies on false news when it comes to f