Quick Take Henry Winkler is very much alive, contrary to a hoax story about his “death” that falsely claims he had been a “huge Trump supporter” and an NRA member. Full Story Henry Winkler, the actor who has been on televis
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FactCheck.org→ Baseless Oklahoma City Bombing Conspiracy Theory
Quick Take A viral meme has revived an old, baseless conspiracy theory claiming that Hillary Clinton is linked to the Oklahoma City bombing. Full Story An old conspiracy theory from the 1990s has gotten a 21st Century update — it’s now spr
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘There is Room in America and Brotherhood for All’ Statue of Liberty Dedication Speech
On March 3 2019, Texas politician Sid Miller shared “An important reminder!”, a meme (archived here) purportedly providing the last line in a Statue of Liberty dedication speech from October 1886: Atop a bronze Statue of Liberty, the meme
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Luke Perry Die After a Pneumonia Vaccine?
Actor Luke Perry died following a stroke on March 4 2019. That same day, a screenshot (archived here) suggesting Perry had received a pneumonia vaccine just before his stroke appeared and quickly began circulating: The post, captioned “In cas
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say ‘All the Technology in the World Won’t Let Us Build a Wall in the Mountains’?
On February 22 2019, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) shared the following meme (archived here), purporting to quote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the feasibility of building walls across mountains in an apparent reference to the United States border: Kin
FactCheck.org→ The Facts on the Born-Alive Debate
Republicans and Democrats traded accusations on the topic of abortion after a “born-alive” bill failed in the Senate. Democrats say the legislation was unnecessary and aimed at restricting access to legal abortion, while Republicans say it was ab
Truth or Fiction?→ Actor Luke Perry Dead at 52
Actor Luke Perry, a Gen-X heartthrob best known for his work on Riverdale and Beverly Hills: 90210 has died. Perry was best known for his role in the teen drama about a group of wealthy classmates in southern California, but went on to distinguish him
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Children’s Characters ‘Max and Ruby’ Have a Tragic Backstory?
In 2015, the following content (archived here), an apparent Tumblr screenshot describing the purported backstory for the preschool book series and television show Max & Ruby, started to circulate on social media: Underneath a still from Max &am
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Sanders’ CNN Town Hall
In a televised town hall, newly announced presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders repeated several misleading claims that we have written about in the past. Sanders said Trump sought to “throw 32 million people off of the health care they had
FactCheck.org→ Darla Shine’s Measles Misinformation
Over a nearly 18-hour Twitter spree, Darla Shine, the wife of Bill Shine, President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff for communications, made a series of false and misleading statements about measles and vaccines. Shine said to “bring back”
Snopes→ W.E.B. Griffin, Prolific Military Novelist, Dead at Age 89
Griffin, whose real name was William E. Butterworth III, died Feb. 12.
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Border Signs Admit the United States Has Lost Control of Border Territory?
On January 13 2019, Facebook user Steve Raabe shared a photograph purportedly showing a sign at the U.S.-Mexico border, along with the following status update: I live on the border with Mexico. As a matter of fact, I live right on the edge. I was rais
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NOT A Photo Of The Tallest Woman In The World
Is this a picture of the tallest woman in the world and is she 9 feet 2 inches with size 22 shoes? No, that's not true: an old picture of Australian basketball player Liz Cambage with writer Danielle Warby was digitally altered to make her ta
Snopes→ ‘Fight Back!’ Consumer Reporter David Horowitz Dies
David Horowitz, whose "Fight Back!" syndicated program made him perhaps the best-known consumer reporter in the U.S., has died. He was 81.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ozzy Osbourne Did NOT Lose Battle Against Pneumonia — NOT Dead
Did Ozzy Osbourne just die of pneumonia? No, that's not true: the story announcing his death on February 6, 2019 is definitely false even though it went massively viral ten days after publication. The story originated from an article publishe
Snopes→ Year After Parkland Massacre, 17 Victims Remembered
"We don't need (the anniversary) to remind us what happened. We live with it every day," said businessman Andrew Pollack, whose 18-year-old daughter Meadow died in the attack.
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the Original ‘Lone Ranger’ a Black Man?
In January 2019, a meme that appeared to be a screenshot of an older post asserting that the real Lone Ranger was a black man named Bass Reeves spread on social media: Above what appeared to be an archival photograph of a black man and the television
Truth or Fiction?→ 1921 Tulsa Race Riot
In February 2019, a meme about the 1921 Tulsa race riot was shared to Facebook, racking up tens of thousands of shares in 24 hours: Above what looked to be an archival photograph of Ku Klux Klan members lining a dirt road, and caption (“History
Lead Stories→ Inaccurate News: MORE Than Two Whales Found Dead, NOT Only In Germany, NOT All Stomachs Full Of Plastic And Car Parts
Were two whales found dead in Germany in January of 2019 or 2018 and were their stomachs discovered to be "full of plastic and car parts"? No, not exactly: a clickbait site running stories about health and nature in order to attract visitors c
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Make-A-Wish Teen Did NOT Request To Receive Oral Sex From Porn Star Teanna Trump As His Final Wish
Did terminally ill 17-year-old HIV-positive Jeffrey Jones request oral sex from a porn star as his final wish, hoping to get it fulfilled by the Make-A-Wish foundation? No, that's not true: the story was published by a "fauxtire" site that mak
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Modern Caesarean Sections Invented in Africa?
On February 6 2019, a Facebook post circulated claiming that “modern c-sections” were invented by midwives in Africa. The post had the hashtag #BlackHistoryMonth, and it said in its entirety: Did you that modern C sections were invented by
Climate Feedback→ How is Arctic warming linked to the ‘polar vortex’ and other extreme weather?
This article was originally published at Carbon Brief by Robert McSweeney, and has been praised by scientists as a nuanced summary of the research on this topic. (The top image from NASA Earth Observatory shows temperatures on 29 January 2019.) &nbs
Truth or Fiction?→ Chuck Schumer Border Wall 2013 vs. 2018
In January 2019, the Facebook page “McGroarty for Freedom” shared the following meme, which contrasted purported positions held by Sen. Chuck Schumer in 2013 and 2018 on the topic of a border wall to separate the United States from Mexico:
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Media Ignore a Devastating Tornado in Cuba?
On January 28 2019, a Facebook user shared the following image set and claim (automatically translated) about a purported and unreported tornado that caused widespread devastation in Cuba: Last night a tornado destroyed everything in its path in Havana
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Jean-Claude Van Damme NOT Dead, NOT Victim of Heart Attack
Did actor Jean-Claude Van Damma die of a heart attack? No, that's not true: the story of his death was made up by a website with a history of publishing death hoaxes. The story originated from an article published by chanteur-news-fr.info on
Snopes→ Russell Baker, Author and NY Times Columnist is Dead at 93
Allen Baker told The Associated Press that his father died on Monday from complications after a fall.
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Activist Nathan Phillips in a Skrillex Video About ‘Attacking Police’?
After a mid-January 2019 Covington Catholic controversy made Native activist Nathan Phillips and student Nick Sandmann virally famous, dueling narratives struggled in a public narrative muddied by smears. Phillips was quickly accused by Big League Pol
FactCheck.org→ Trump Wrong About Wall Effect in El Paso
President Donald Trump falsely claimed that El Paso went from “one of the most dangerous cities in the country to one of the safest cities in the country overnight” after “a wall was put up” along the Mexico border. Here are the facts:
Lead Stories→ The Kumanovo-connection: Macedonian Spam Clans Still Make Money With Fake News About Muslims and Migrants
A Macedonian military man appears to be one of the driving forces behind a network of fake news websites that reached millions of people with articles often inciting hatred against muslims and migrants. Together with friends and family he has
Climate Feedback→ Story on congressman’s incorrect claims about sea level rise could have corrected them more explicitly
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article in the news section of Science—syndicated from E&E News—covers a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Science, Space, and Technology Committee. During the hearing, some committee memb
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Numbers January 2019 Update
Summary In the time Donald Trump has been in the White House: The economy added 4.6 million jobs, including nearly half a million in manufacturing. Economic growth quickened, but not as much as Trump promised. The number of regulatory restrictions sto
Snopes→ Former Yankees Pitcher Mel Stottlemyre Dead at 77
Mel Stottlemyre, who had a distinguished career as both a pitcher and a pitching coach, died in Seattle after a long battle with bone marrow cancer.
Lead Stories→ Old News: Infamous Lion Hunter Slipped And Fell 100 Feet To His Death During Hunt… In 2016!
Did veterinarian/hunter Luciano Ponzetto slip and fall 100 feet during a hunt and did he die from his injuries? Yes, he did... in 2016. But the "news" of his death recently went viral again after an activist site reposted it without giving a
Lead Stories→ Fake News: William Shatner NOT Dead, Final Thoughts NOT of Leonard Nimoy and President Trump
Did actor William Shatner die? No, that's not true: a death hoax about the actor who is best known for his role of James T. Kirk in Star Trek was published by a liberal satire weblog in order to trick conservatives and Trump supporters into l
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
Snopes→ Were 17,000 “Criminal Aliens” and 6,000 MS-13 Gang Members Arrested in 2018?
This claim, made on the RNC’s “Border Facts” page, muddied several numbers to make a misleading argument.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Bre Payton’s Death NOT Ruled Murder – DA NOT Investigating Clinton Connection
Was Bre Payton's death ruled murder and is the District Attorney investigating a possible Clinton connection? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republic
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Richard Petty NOT Dead at 81
Did former NASCAR driver Richard Petty die on January 6, 2019 and is President Trump heartbroken about the news? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Repub
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