On February 27 2020, a Facebook user shared the following meme about the 1988 anime classic Akira, the 2020 Olympics, and plot elements which were reportedly strangely prescient: A four-panel meme featured images on one side, text on the other. In s
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FactCheck.org→ A Misleading Anti-Biden Ad from Trump Backers
A misleading television ad from the Committee to Defend the President falsely suggests that former President Barack Obama is criticizing his former vice president, Joe Biden, for his racial attitudes. The pro-Trump super PAC’s ad begins with an i
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an MSNBC Commentator Say that Recent College Graduates Make ‘$75,000 a Year’?
On February 25 2020, a purported comment from MSNBC commentator Mike Barnicle on talk show Morning Joe netted him accusations of being out of touch with many Americans. Barnicle was not named in the tweet that prompted the accusation, which has been
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Call Obama’s Ebola Virus Response ‘a Total Joke’?
Shortly after United States President Donald Trump announced on February 26 2020 that he was naming Vice President Mike Pence to lead his administration’s response to the issue of novel coronavirus COVID-19, critics on social media pointed out y
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: International Space Station Camera Did NOT Capture New UFO Footage
Did a camera aboard the International Space Station capture new footage of a UFO? No, that's not true: Several Internet hoaxers have shared the video to suggest that NASA was tracking a UFO. However, a couple of Internet sleuths on YouTube det
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Mike Bloomberg Say Bernie Sanders Would Have Beaten Trump in 2016?
After the February 26 2020 Democratic debate, memes and Twitter screenshots circulated on Facebook which suggested that presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg said that Bernie Sanders — also running for president — would have beaten Unit
Truth or Fiction?→ Were #DemDebate Tickets Sold for $1,750 to $3,200?
On the night of the February 25 2020 Democratic debate, Twitter rumors appeared containing claims that tickets to the event in South Carolina were sold for amounts ranging between $1,750 and $3,200: JFC these debate tickets started at $1750. That
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the South Carolina Debate
Summary In the last Democratic debate before Super Tuesday, the candidates often talked over and past one another. We sort out some of the misinformation. In criticizing Sen. Bernie Sanders’ sympathetic remarks about authoritarian regimes, former Vi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Birds Did NOT Fall Dead From The Sky Due To 5G
Did a large number of birds fall dead from the sky due to 5G wireless technology? No, that's not true: The videos being shared do not offer any evidence that 5G - the fifth generation cellular network - has caused the deaths of the birds. The
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mike Bloomberg Did NOT Say He Pimped His Teenage Daughter To Chinese Businessmen
Did Mike Bloomberg once boast that he pimped his teenage daughter to Chinese businessmen during a business trip to China? No, that's not true: The claim is based on a Bloomberg quote in a 1999 magazine article in which Bloomberg said that, whe
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Coronavirus Is Bioweapon Leaked From Wuhan Lab
Is the novel coronavirus a bioweapon that leaked from a Wuhan laboratory? No, there is no evidence to suggest that's true: Scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology have insisted there is no link between the lab and the coronavirus, which
Snopes→ Violence in Indian Capital Casts Shadow over Trump’s Visit
Black smoke rose into the sky over northeastern New Delhi after Hindu protesters set fruit and vegetable shops and a Muslim shrine on fire, witnesses said.
FactCheck.org→ Biden’s Factual Distortions
Former Vice President Joe Biden distorted the facts in two interviews in the wake of the Nevada caucuses: He claimed that one of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders, “was opposed to Obamacare.” Sander
Truth or Fiction?→ Sophie Scholl’s Last Words
In February 2020, a two-year-old Facebook post about Sophie Scholl circulated to mark the purported anniversary of her death with her last words before her execution by Nazis: On February 21 2018, user Warren Lynn shared the screenshot above, writi
Truth or Fiction?→ Are American Women ’50 Percent More Likely’ to Die From Pregnancy or Childbirth Than Their Mothers?
Hidden in the middle of a story about the effects of social media disinformation on a pregnant woman is a statistic that might give readers pause, but it is chilling — and accurate. The information was part of a February 20 2020 NBC News story o
Snopes→ B. Smith, Model Turned Lifestyle Guru, Dead at 70
Barbara “B.” Smith, one of the nation's top black models who went on to open restaurants, launch a successful home products line and write cookbooks, has died at her Long Island home at age 70 after battling early onset Alzheimer's disease.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Lifestyle Change Study Did NOT Focus On Vegan Diet
Did a study endorsed by a Nobel Prize winner claim that the vegan diet can cause a variety of health benefits? No, that's not entirely true: The research did not focus on the vegan diet. It showed that a combination of lifestyle changes - diet
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an MSNBC Reporter Contradict His Network on the Nevada Caucus Tiebreaker?
As media coverage on February 22, 2020 converged on the Nevada State Democratic Party caucuses and their unusual tiebreaker method, MSNBC reporter Gadi Schwartz revealed an apparent rule change on-air that contradicted not only state policy but his ne
FactCheck.org→ Family Separation Spin in Nevada
A misleading Spanish-language TV ad from a group backing President Donald Trump claims that then-President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden “separated families and put children in cages” while it shows images of minors who wer
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘He’s 18’: Twitter Trending Topics Amplifies Quaden Bayles Conspiracy Theory
Not long after Quaden Bayles became the virally popular star of an anti-bullying campaign, Twitter’s trending topics boosted a conspiracy theory under “He’s 18,” linked to tweets alleging the nine-year-old boy was a much olde
Truth or Fiction?→ Official ‘Snoopy’ Account Deletes ‘You’re One of the Good Ones’ Cartoon
The official @Snoopy account became the center of Twitter and Facebook controversy on February 21 2020, due to a since-deleted tweet involving Charlie Brown, his friend Franklin (a Black character), and usage of the phrase “you’re one of t
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Bernie Sanders’ Plan Tax People Making $29,000 at 52 Percent?
A fast-spreading Twitter meme shared by James Woods took aim at a purported statement by Bernie Sanders at the February 19 2020 debate, during which Sanders purportedly claimed that he planned to raise taxes so that people earning $29,000 a year would
Lead Stories→ Fake News: A Viral Image Does NOT Show Rep. Ilhan Omar Without A Head Scarf
Does a viral photo show U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar without a head scarf? No, that's not true: it is an altered image of a man arrested in South Wales that purports to be the Democrat from Minnesota. The image, including one posted here (archived her
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the Las Vegas Democratic Debate
Summary Many of the factual disputes centered on disagreements among the candidates: Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg said the stop-and-frisk policy that was “in place” when he became mayor “got out of control” and so “we cut 95% of
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michael Bloomberg and Jeffrey Epstein ‘Collab’ on a Charter School Funding Plan?
Amid the flurry of rumors connecting Democratic Party presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg to convicted (now deceased) pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, social media users posted a photo of what they called a “collab” between the two involvin
FactCheck.org→ Committee to Defend the President
Political leanings: Pro-President Trump 2018 total spending: $9 million The Committee to Defend the President was founded as the Stop Hillary PAC in May 2013. The group’s name and mission changed after Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Lyndon B. Johnson Vote Against Civil Rights Legislation for Twenty Years?
Right-wing commentator Candace Owens distorted the record of former United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during both a televised appearance and on Twitter in February 2020 in an effort to paint the Democratic Party as being anti-Black. The remark
Truth or Fiction?→ Fish Mox: ‘Same Antibiotic, Same Pill, Same Manufacturer, Same Drug’ as Amoxicillin?
On February 17 2020 a Facebook user shared the following post, claiming that a product called “Fish Mox” is the “same antibiotic, same pill,” and “same drug” as the common antibiotic amoxicillin: Alongside three
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Man Arrested for Allegedly Forcing a Woman to Watch ‘Roots’ to ‘Better Understand’ Her Racism?
On February 17 2020, an odd story came out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa via The Gazette, about the arrest of a man who allegedly forced made a woman watch the mini-series Roots so that she might better understand her own racism: A Cedar Rapids man [Rober
Hoax-Slayer→ Dog Comes Home With Deadly Snake Around His Snout
Long circulated message claims that an attached photograph shows Bronson, a black Labrador Retriever with a deadly copperhead snake wrapped around his snout. The post Dog Comes Home With Deadly Snake Around His Snout appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Truth or Fiction?→ For ‘Silent Help,’ ‘Ring 999, Then Press 55’
In January 2020, a Facebook photograph of a printed sign purportedly provided valuable advice to callers of 999, several countries’ version of the United States’ 911 — claiming that for “silent help,” callers impeded from
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘If You Make $50,000/Year, $36 of Your Taxes Goes to Food Stamps, $4,000 Goes to Corporate Subsidies’
A February 14 2020 tweet about “socialism” and a putative $50,000 wage earner paying $36 in tax towards food stamps and $4,000 towards corporate subsidies went wildly viral, appearing in screenshots on Facebook and discussion forums in the
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘God Bows Down to President Donald J. Trump’ Sign
A sign expressing a particularly outlandish message supporting United States President Donald Trump grabbed attention online in February 2020: A photograph of the sign — bearing the message “God bows down to President Donald J. Trump, dec
Truth or Fiction?→ Captain Cook’s Death: Why Anti-Colonialists Celebrate February 14th
If you’re tired of the Valentine’s Day hype, consider this: Some people on social media are going with a of a British explorer’s death at the hands of indigenous Hawaiians as a way to mark February 14th instead. For example, Facebook
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ben Carson Did NOT Offer to Perform ‘Much Needed’ Brain Surgery On Maxine Waters
Did Ben Carson, the Housing and Urban Development Secretary, offer to do brain surgery on U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters? No, that's not true: Although Carson and Waters, a California Democrat, have shown great disdain for one another in the past, Ca
Truth or Fiction?→ Jeff Bezos Bought a $165M House, the Equivalent of a $75 House if You Make $60,000 a Year?
In February 2020, tweets and screenshots appeared, claiming that Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos had recently purchased a $165 million house — typically with the caveat that the acquisition was about the same as someone who made $60,00
FactCheck.org→ Bloomberg Misleads on Stop-And-Frisk
Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg misleadingly stated that he “cut” the police practice of stop-and-frisk — a policy that he “inherited” — by “95%” by the time he left office as mayor of New York. There were nearl
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Intervenes in Sentencing of Lobbyist Who Spread Corrosive Disinformation on His Behalf
The sentencing of convicted felon Roger Stone was abruptly derailed on February 11 2020, when all four of his prosecutors resigned on the same day that United States President Donald Trump, freshly emboldened by his impeachment acquittal the week befo
Truth or Fiction?→ Did North Dakota Republicans ‘Block Native Americans From Voting’?
Stories continue to circulate online about a federal judge’s October 2018 ruling around a North Dakota voter identification law, but readers on social media may not be aware that as of February 2020, the legal fight against the law has not concl
Snopes→ Judge Orders Immigration Detention Hotline Restored
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore a free hotline that let detained immigrants report concerns about custody conditions until shortly after it was featured on the TV show “Orange Is the New Black.”