Did a mother save her 13-year-old daughter from being kidnapped by sex traffickers after she was drugged in a Woodland Hills Mall bathroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma? No, that's not true: the Tulsa Police Department confirmed there was no such inciden
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Truth or Fiction?→ Lysol + Coronavirus = Conspiracy
As fears of a coronavirus outbreak spread virally on social media in late January 2020, so too did posts about the packaging of Lysol and what some people saw as a suspicious mention of a viral strain that was new to them: LYSOL WAS INVENTED IN 1
Truth or Fiction?→ No, You’re Not Being Told to Avoid ‘Unprotected Sex with Farm Animals’ Over the Coronavirus
As the World Health Organization (WHO) tried to disseminate health advisories amid a growing coronavirus outbreak, at least one “jokey” graphic blunting that message was spotted online in January 2020. The WHO’s original graphic, pos
Truth or Fiction?→ ’30 Marines, 1 Sailor Die in Helicopter Crash on Same Day as Kobe Bryant’ Meme
Following the January 26 2020 death of athlete Kobe Bryant, posts circulated on Facebook alongside the headline “30 Marines, 1 Sailor Die in Helicopter Crash”: Sharers definitively connected the purported news to Bryant’s death,
Truth or Fiction?→ Can You Get Coronavirus from Wish.com Products?
As concern over coronavirus spread in late January 2020, Facebook users began to share memes claiming that all products from ubiquitous seller Wish.com shipped from Wuhan, China — thought to be the region from which a massive outbreak of what
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Kobe Bryant Say ‘A #POTUS Whose Name Alone Creates Division and Anger … Can’t Possibly ‘Make America Great Again’?
After the sudden death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant on January 26 2020, the Facebook page “Call to Activism” shared the following meme, which purportedly quoted Bryant speaking about United States President Donald Trump: Whi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Lewis Latimer Did NOT Invent The Light Bulb — Contrary To What Joe Biden Said — Or The Telephone
Did Lewis Latimer, an African-American man from Massachusetts who was bought from slavery, invent the light bulb and telephone? No, that's not true: Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, and Thomas Edison invented the first light
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Those Cups Are Made to Be Thrown in the Laundry After You Fill Them Up, It Cleans Them’?
On January 20 2020 Facebook user Amber Miller shared a virally popular “laundry hack,” asserting that detergent cups are designed to be added to every wash, because “it cleans them”: Miller’s post racked up over 13,000 sh
FactCheck.org→ Biden vs. Sanders on Social Security and Medicare
Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden have been trading barbs over Biden’s record on Social Security and Medicare. Sanders accuses Biden of saying “on many occasions we should cut Social Security,” and Biden accuses
Truth or Fiction?→ Alabama Senate Blocks Attempts to Raise Minimum Wage in Birmingham
In Janaury 2020, a number of Facebook users shared an article headlined “Alabama senate blocks attempts to raise minimum wage in Birmingham,” a piece which spread against the backdrop of the 2020 presidential elections and a national discu
Truth or Fiction?→ Did One of Trump’s College Professors Call Him ‘the Dumbest Goddamn Student I Ever Had’?
An often-circulated quote from a University of Pennsylvania faculty member attacking United States President Donald Trump was posthumously spread second-hand. The purported remark attributed to Wharton School of Business professor William T. Kelley
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Democrats Did Indeed Vote Out Pledge And Refused To Stand For Flag After Rejecting Calls To Add Pledge To Meeting Agenda
Did Democrats vote out adding the Pledge of Allegiance at an elections board meeting and refuse to stand for the flag? Yes, the claim is accurate, and here is some context: The Pledge of Allegiance was not on the original agenda at a local Nor
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Disney Releasing a Sequel to Bette Midler’s ‘Hocus Pocus’?
A fan-made illustration that spread around Facebook in January 2020 may have stirred anticipation in fans of the 1993 horror comedy Hocus Pocus, but it’s unclear whether those hopes will be fulfilled anytime soon. The illustration (which was sh
Truth or Fiction?→ Super Nintendo World Mushroom Kingdom Urinals
On January 18 2020, the Facebook page “GeekDup Girl” shared the following screenshot. Its first portion of which purportedly involved a tweet from Nintendo of America showing “Mushroom Kingdom” urinals planned for a theme park
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Michelle Obama Is NOT The New Face of Versace Cosmetics
Is Michelle Obama the new face of Versace Cosmetics? No, that's not true: This story originated from a satire website which publishes stories designed to troll conservatives. The claim originated from an article (archived here) where it was pu
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ruby Bridges is Only 65’ Meme
On January 17 2020, the Facebook page “The Other 98%” shared the following meme, which claimed that as of January 2020, Ruby Bridges (the iconic little girl who was the first black child at a previously all-white public school in Louisiana
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pope Did NOT Bow Down To The Order Of The Illuminati, Kiss Feet And Hands
Did Pope Francis bow down to the "Order of the Illuminati" and kiss their hands and feet? No, that's not true: The Pope kissed the feet of once-warring Sudanese leaders in the hopes of urging them not to return to a civil war. The video being
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Medical Journal List ‘The Notorious H.R.T.’ as a Nickname for Hormone Replacement Therapy?
An image that purports to show a screengrab from a medical journal was featured on a tweet that gained traction on January 15 2020. The tweet contains a capture of this citation: It says: Hormone replacement therapy has many nicknames among transfe
Truth or Fiction?→ Nancy Pelosi’s ‘Gold Pens’ Impeachment Controversy
On January 16 2020, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s gold pens on silver platters were the subject of a Facebook post shared by known disinformation peddler and sometimes grifter Brian Kolfage: Across a photograph of three trays of gold-ti
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Actor Will Smith Did NOT Say: "I’m Not Afraid to Say That Trump And His Supporters are Ba…"
Did actor Will Smith say, "I'm not afraid to say that Trump and his supporters are ba..."? No, that's not true: Smith never made such a statement, though the story contains real quotes taken out of context from a 2016 Australian interview. The
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Prince Philip is Dead’; Rumor Spreads Like Wildfire
On January 17 2020, rumors Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip had died began sweeping Twitter. Commonly, users reported hearing the rumor of Philip’s purported death at work or “on the street”: Work rumour is that P
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Senators Given Protester ‘Assistance’ Cards To Use Against Journalists?
On January 16 2020, as the impeachment trial of United States President Donald Trump was just beginning, a CBS reporter claimed on Twitter that his organization had obtained a flashcard “that was being given to U.S. Senators ahead of the #Impea
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘My Favorite Catholic Lore’ Holy Water Facts Meme
On January 15 2020, a Tumblr screenshot featuring purported facts about holy water (“my favorite Catholic lore”) was shared to Imgur with the title “How to get +1 holy damage”: A multi-party Tumblr exchange began with claims f
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on the FDA’s Flavored E-Cig Policy
After months of considering a complete ban on flavored electronic cigarettes, the Trump administration announced a new policy on Jan. 2 that soon will forbid the sale of some, but not all, flavored vapes. According to the Food and Drug Administration,
Truth or Fiction?→ How a Banking Meme Ties Into a Debate Over Calendar Denominations
A long-running debate off and on social media somehow managed to loop a type of beer into a discussion around how to denote the historical timeline in January 2020: The meme, which has spread around Twitter and Facebook, shows a check made out to
Truth or Fiction?→ 2016 ‘Bern the Witch’ Sanders Campaign Event
On January 14 2020, Twitter user @TrinityMustache claimed that the 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign hosted a “Bern the Witch” event attacking then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton: Bernie Sanders had a “Bern the Witch”
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Photograph Show Syrians Leaving Idlib?
In January 2020, the Syrian region of Idlib — the last rebel bastion in the country — teetered on the verge of further humanitarian disaster as its own government continued airstrikes against the population there. Meanwhile, the Russian government
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Woman Steals Trump Sign, Immediately Regrets It’ Video
On January 13 2020, Facebook user Ryan Fournier of Students for Trump (whose partner and co-founder was later charged with fraud for posing as an attorney) shared a video with the text: “Woman Steals Trump Sign. Immediately Regrets it”:
Truth or Fiction?→ Fake ‘Thailand’s Seven New Provinces’ Post Resurfaces on Social Media in Thailand
An online hoax dating back to at least 2015 about Thailand having seven new provinces continued to spread as recently as January 2020, according to news and fact-checking organization Agence France-Presse. The news service reported that a post pushin
Lead Stories→ Fake News: This Video Does NOT Show Drone footage of Soleimani Assasination
Does a video making the rounds on social media show aerial footage from the drone strike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani at the Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020? No, that's not true: This footage was based off a pre-release teaser of
Truth or Fiction?→ NikkieTutorials (Nikkie de Jager) Comes Out as Transgender
On January 13 2020, YouTube star Nikkie de Jager — known to her fans as NikkieTutorials — revealed in a 17-minute video that she is transgender: I’m coming out. https://t.co/chLHURZKk4 — NikkieTutorials (@NikkieTutorials) January 13, 2
Truth or Fiction?→ Donald Trump Says He ‘Saved Pre-Existing Conditions in Your Healthcare’
On January 13 2020, United States President Donald Trump tried to attack a Democratic Party presidential candidate for “false advertising” by repeating a lie of his own. In a tweet attacking former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, Tr
Truth or Fiction?→ Online Debate Stirs Fears of a ‘Star Wars’ Disinformation Campaign
A round of rumors and criticism surrounding the new Star Wars movie series has ignited debate in what has become an ongoing discussion about disinformation pushed in pop culture fandom — but experts are split whether that label applies to a Reddi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: A Majority, Perhaps As Many As 75%, Of Abortion Clinics Are NOT In Areas With High Minority Populations
Are a majority, perhaps as many as 75%, of abortion clinics in the United States located in areas with high minority populations? No, that does not appear to be true: While the claim has been making the rounds for years, research suggests that
Snopes→ Verified Videos Show Plane in Iran Impacted Before Downing
In the pitch black, pre-dawn sky on the outskirts of the Iranian capital Tehran, a tiny fast-moving light can be seen racing up through the trees, as someone films from the ground.
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Using Antidepressants Disqualify You from a Military Draft?
After a January 3 2020 United States-led strike killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Suleimani in Baghdad, Iraq, speculation flew about impending war, eventually turning into rumors about an American military draft. On the day Suleimani was killed, news o
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Kaepernick Did NOT Lobby To Remove National Anthem From Football
Did Colin Kaepernick lobby to remove the American national anthem from being played before professional football games? No, that's not true: The NFL quarterback, who is currently a free agent, made no such effort. The article is a work of sati
Snopes→ City’s New Treasurer Says Racist Officials Won’t Seat Her
The newly elected treasurer of a small city in western Pennsylvania asserted in a lawsuit that city officials plotted to block her from taking office because she is black.
FactCheck.org→ Amid Military Tension, Meme Misdates Soldiers’ Deaths
Quick Take A meme circulating on Facebook displays photos of five U.S. soldiers that purportedly were killed “this Tuesday in Afghanistan.” Actually, they died in 2013 and there was a sixth soldier killed in the same incident who isn’
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Say NO to Piercing Guns’ Viral Facebook Post
On December 29 2019, Facebook user Stephanie Lipscy shared the following post beginning with “say NO to piercing guns,” alongside an illustration of an ear being pierced: Lipscy said that the use of ear piercing guns caused “a blun