In January 2019, the following meme appeared on social media about overdraft fees collected by banks: The meme read: Banks collected over $30 billion in overdraft fees last year. Another way of saying that, banks took $30,000,000,000 from people who
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Truth or Fiction?→ Is Rashida Tlaib’s ‘Raping and Pillaging… What Goes Around Comes Around’ Tweet Real?
In January 2019, a tweet attributed to Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib began circulating in questionable screenshot-only form on Twitter and Facebook: Dated January 4, 2019, it read: Americans have spent decades raping and pillaging my people. What goes a
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Democrats Pay The $5 Billion Wall Cost Every 10 Days to ‘Subsidize’ Illegal Immigration?
On January 4, 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based post to a public group: It stated: Democrats pay what Trump is asking for the wall every 10 days to subsidize illegal aliens. Let that sink in. #SocialistClowns The status update was shared durin
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the United States Give Jordan $500 Million to Build a Wall on its Border with Iraq?
On January 8, 2019, just after President Donald Trump addressed the United States on the matter of his intent to construct another border wall, the Facebook page “The American Dreamer” shared the following meme: Text overlaid on an image
Truth or Fiction?→ Do You Have the Right as a Juror to Refuse to Enforce ‘Bad Law’?
On January 5, 2018, the Facebook page “Think Liberty” posted this photograph of a woman holding a sign: The sign and caption said: As a juror, you have the right to refuse to enforce any bad law in the case brought before you. #TheMoreYouK
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Man Did NOT Cut Off His Penis To Show His Faithfulness To Estranged Girlfriend
Did a man named Marcus Jones from Trenton, Ohio (or anywhere else) cut off his penis to shiw his faithfulness to his estranged girlfriend? No, that's not true: a known fake news site that is part of a larger network of such sites simply copied
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
Truth or Fiction?→ Do ‘The Most Brilliant Scientists’ Not Vaccinate Their Own Children?
On January 7, 2019, the Facebook page for NaturalNews.com shared a video, the premise for which was contained in its title: “The most brilliant scientists working for the U.S. government do NOT vaccinate their own kids.” The same video was
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Democrats Put Up a Four-Mile Fence Around the DNC in 2016?
On December 28, 2018, a Facebook user commented on a debate over border wall funding by sharing a photograph of a purported four-mile long fence erected around the Democratic National Convention (DNC): Alongside the image, the user posted a comment: A
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Protester’s Sign Say ‘We Will Defeat America Using the Weakness of Liberal Leaders’?
In late 2018 and early 2019, an image circulated of a man holding a sign that read: “We Will Defeat America By Using The Weakness Of Liberal Leaders”: The image rarely appeared with any backstory, and it served as something of a Rorschach
Truth or Fiction?→ Did President Barack Obama Shut Down the Government to ‘Force Obamacare’ in 2013?
On December 29, 2018, a Facebook user posted a status update claiming that a federal shutdown over border wall funding was similar to one in 2013 — and it was purportedly initiated by President Barack Obama: This was nearly identical to a December 2
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the IRS Suspending Tax Refunds During the Government Shutdown?
On December 22, 2018 the United States government shut down, suspending the functions and payrolls of numerous federal agencies. As the shutdown continued into January 2019, concern and rumors began to spread over whether tax refunds issued by the Int
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Picture of Used Syringes Recovered in ‘Democrat Run’ San Francisco?
On December 20, 2018, the Facebook page Try Decaf shared a photograph, purportedly showing used needles “found on the streets of Democrat run San Francisco”: As of January 4, 2019, the image had been shared thousands of times. Angry users
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Deaths Listed in a ‘2018 Muslim Threat’ Tweet Accurate?
On January 1, 2019, civil rights lawyer and podcast host Qasim Rashid, Esq. tweeted a purported breakdown of the so-called “Muslim threat” relative to other risks to Americans in 2018: 2018 Recap of the “Muslim threat” Americans killed
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Tweet Contrasting American and Japanese Generations Accurate?
On December 22, 2018, the Facebook page Ethan Berk shared an image referencing baby boomers, older people in Japan, and the attitudes of the two groups: The image involved several components, including commentary at the top, a purported tweet from BBC
Truth or Fiction?→ Are More Americans Killed Annually by Lack of Affordable Healthcare Than in Terror Attacks or Undocumented Immigrants?
On December 20 2018, the Facebook page Teanderthal Party posted the following meme about healthcare, “illegal immigration,” terror attacks, and the mortality rate in the United States: It stated: FACT: More Americans die every year from la
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Snake Head Found in a Can of Green Beans?
In late December 2018, a Facebook user shared a photograph set showing what appeared to be a snake’s head, claiming that she had found it in a can of Glory Foods green beans: Accompanying the images was a post, which read: Snake for supper anyon
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump Say Generals at the Pentagon Were Better Looking and Stronger Than Tom Cruise?
On January 2, 2018, the Facebook page Union Thugs shared a meme attributing a quote about Pentagon generals and how they compared to actor Tom Cruise: The quote was bookended with commentary from the meme’s maker. It read: An actual thing the P
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Muslim Men Attack a UK Serviceman on New Year’s Eve?
On January 1, 2019, British far-right activist Tommy Robinson (née Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon) shared a post with photographs of an injured man, claiming that fifteen Muslim men had seriously assaulted a British serviceman one day prior in Ba
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Bandersnatch’ a Real Game?
Netflix released Black Mirror standalone special “Bandersnatch,” which featured an interactive “choose your own adventure” style plot, on December 28, 2018. Immediately, viewers began dissecting its elements — chief among th
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Bar’ an Acronym for ‘Beer and Alcohol Room’?
A meme with the claim that the word “bar” is an acronym for “beer and alcohol room” suddenly appeared in late December 2018: The meme was virtually identical in both presentation and format to a similar post claiming the word
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Two-Thirds of Millennials Not Know What Auschwitz Is?
In late December 2018, the Facebook page for Yahoo! Now shared a link to an article with a comment that two-thirds of millennials “don’t know what Auschwitz was”: The post linked to an article aggregated to Yahoo! from Newsweek on Apr
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Coast Guard NOT Reselling Seized Cocaine Amid Government Shutdown
Is the U.S. Coast Guard selling seized cocaine shipments to cover salaries and expenses during the current government shutdown? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a military themed satire weblog and went massively viral. Rest assu
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Slow the Spread of Disinformation: A Guide for Newsrooms
Every day, a new fake story emerges with the power to affect policy or further corrode relationships, from interpersonal to international. This is corrosive disinformation, as different from garden-variety scams and hoaxes as a molehill is from a mount
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Man Did NOT Travel 125 Km To Stab Man Who Posted Porn Reference Without Sharing Link
Dud a man named Carl Zeagan travel 125 km. to stab his friend Dylan Fan for not posting the link to the full content after he shared a porn image? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a "fauxtire" site that publishes fictional tales
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Twitter User Claim a Border Wall GoFundMe Campaign Got ‘Almost Halfway’ to a Billion Dollars?
In late December 2018, a screenshot of a tweet attributed to a Twitter user who goes by “@MAGA_diane” began circulating on social media: The tweet appeared with a link to a GoFundMe campaign to fund a border wall between the United States
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the FBI Declare That ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Was ‘Communist Propaganda’?
In December 2018, claims that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had once deemed the holiday classic film It’s a Wonderful Life to be “communist propaganda” circulated on various social media sites: Fun Fact: Months after It’
FactCheck.org→ Trump Administration Distorts the Facts On Climate Report
Since the National Climate Assessment dropped on Black Friday, members of the Trump administration have inaccurately attacked the report for lacking transparency and factual basis, and for focusing on an “extreme” climate scenario. The EPA has als
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Meme About Taxes Europeans Pay for Their ‘Free Stuff’ Accurate?
On December 18, 2018, a Facebook user shared this meme about tax and purported socialism in several European countries: In addition to a chart listing purported figures for Germany, England, Italy, and Greece, its text read: JUST WANTED TO SHOW ALL O
FactCheck.org→ Rep.-elect Green Wrong About Vaccines, CDC Fraud
At a town hall event on Dec. 11, Rep.-elect Mark Green of Tennessee inaccurately claimed that vaccine preservatives might cause autism. He also repeated an unsubstantiated claim that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “fraudulently manage
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Mike Huckabee Tweet About the Clinton Foundation Real?
Following news on December 18, 2018 that the Trump Foundation would close, a tweet attributed to former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in which he appeared to think that the Clinton Foundation was closing circulated in screenshots on social media. In
Truth or Fiction?→ Does the Arrow on a Car’s Gas Gauge Indicate Which Side Has the Fuel Tank?
A tweet published in December 2018 reiterated a long-circulating purported “life hack,” in which an easy-to-miss arrow on a car’s gas gauge indicated the side of the vehicle on which its gas tank was located: How old were you when yo
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Four Artificially Intelligent Robots Kill 29 Humans in a Japan Lab?
On December 15, 2018, a Facebook user shared what appeared to be a screenshot of an article reporting the shocking news that dozens of Japanese scientists had been killed by rebellious artificial intelligence: An Instagram handle was visible in the sc
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Popeye’s Offering ‘Emotional Support Chicken’ to Harried Travelers?
On December 18, 2018, a spate of posts and articles about fast food chain Popeye’s new “emotional support chicken” appeared on social media: The move appeared to be a stunt that was either tasty or tasteless, depending on your perspe
Truth or Fiction?→ Could Robert Mueller’s Investigation Turn a Profit Thanks to Asset Seizures?
On December 14, 2018, documents released by the Department of Justice clocked the cost of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election at over $25 million: The Justice Department’
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Hospital Stand for ‘House of Sick People Including Treatment and Labour’?
On December 17 2018, a Facebook page shared the following meme purporting to reveal the surprising etymology of the word “hospital”: With a nod to the “today years old” meme, it read: How old were you when you realised that HOS
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Christmas Illegal in the United States Until 1836?
Did the original “War on Christmas” start in the United States? A Facebook page shared the following meme in December 2018: The text of the meme read: Did you know? Christmas was illegal in the U.S. until 1836 as it was considered an ancien
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘SJWs’ Demanding a Gender Neutral Santa?
Manufactured controversy about millennial affectations have nearly become a tradition all their own, and in 2018, news outlets took a shine to claims that “social justice warriors” (often shortened in internet parlance to the more derogato
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Muslamic Fallah Did NOT Call Cops On Christian Carolers, Cops Did NOT Arrest Them And Take Their Kids
Is the police in Dearborn, Michigan now arresting Christian carol singers after a "muslamic fallah" called 911 on them? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters a
Lead Stories→ Fake News: American Tourist NOT Arrested in Costa Rica For Having Sex With Endangered Sea Turtles
Was an American tourist named Robert W. Schlong arrested in Costa Rica for sexually molesting an endangered sea turtle? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living by publishing fictional