Monster Supercell in Burwell, Nebraska On March 18 2019, a Facebook user shared the image below (archived here) with the caption “monster supercell, burwell, nebraska”: Several commenters expressed their concerns for the original poster’s safety, while others pointed out that they had seen the image before. A reverse image search returned matches as far back as July 2014, and the […]
Were 70 Christians Massacred by Muslims in March 2019? On March 19 2019, a Facebook user shared the status update below (archived here), claiming that 70 Nigerian Christians had been massacred by Muslims one day previously: Yesterday, muslims marched into a college in Nigeria, separated out the Christian students and killed them. 70 dead. Ten days later, the status had been shared tens of […]
Asylum-Seekers Held Under a Bridge in El Paso On March 28 2019, a Twitter user shared the following tweet, purportedly showing a large number of people being detained under an overpass in El Paso, Texas: This concentration camp full of children is in El Paso, Texas, United States. It’s 2019. pic.twitter.com/9wIHzsGKNL — Amir (@AmirAminiMD) March 28, 2019 The images appeared to be authentic […]
Charles Kinsey Shooting On March 20 2019, the following screenshot and text (archived here) was publicly shared on Facebook, accruing a six-figure share count in under a week: Charles Kinsey is his FUCKING NAME. Edit: the officer who shot him is Jonathon Aledda In the screenshot was a March 15 2019 Facebook post (archived here), which accrued a […]
Pitcher Plant or ‘Penis Flytrap’ In March 2019, the following image was shared by Thailand Secrets (archived here), Pictures in History (original, archived here), “Historical Pictures” (archived here), Reddit r/mildlypenis, and Reddit r/misleadingthumbnails: Known as the ”Penis Flytrap”, this is a pitcher plant of the Genus Nepenthes sp. A carnivorous plant like the Venus Flytrap, the glan-like top is actually […]
Tandem Nursing Milk Differences A March 24 2019 post on the Facebook page “Breast is Best without Fear” (archived here) featured a purported image of different milks expressed by the “same mama,” thanks to nursing children of different ages and with separate needs: In its center was a photograph of two bottles of breastmilk — one thin and dark yellow […]
John McCain vs. Donald Trump in 1973 Meme In March 2019, United States President Donald Trump made several comments about Sen. John McCain, who died of brain cancer the previous August. Trump’s 2019 comments continued a feud that he had had with McCain before his death: President Donald Trump’s feud with the late Sen. John McCain dates back many years, to long before […]
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Facts Meme On March 14 2019, the Facebook page Occupy Democrats shared a meme (archived here), making a number of claims about U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York): Next to a photograph of Ocasio-Cortez, the meme’s text read: In high school she won 2nd place at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. In a show of […]
Do 21 Fathers Die of Suicide Each Week Because of Child Custody Disputes? In March 2019, a photo-based Facebook image post (archived here) contained the claim that 21 fathers died by suicide every week specifically because of “child access issues”: The post included a status update comment and a message on a sign which read, respectively: To all you women who play god with your kids just to […]
‘Company Policies’ Poster In March 2019, a poster of “Company Policies” spread on Facebook (archived here) and other sites, purportedly illustrating draconian — yet believable — rules for employees at an unidentified company: Many versions of the image appeared to come from Snapchat, with a circled portion around “sick days” and a comment: “This part tho .. wth.” The […]
