For ‘Silent Help,’ ‘Ring 999, Then Press 55’
Viral social media posts promising a specific form of help during emergencies can, if inaccurate, pose a greater risk to 999 (or 911) callers.
‘If You Make $50,000/Year, $36 of Your Taxes Goes to Food Stamps, $4,000 Goes to Corporate Subsidies’
A February 2020 tweet about a $50,000 wage earner paying $36 in tax toward food stamps and $4,000 for corporate subsidies has been circulating for years. Is it true?
‘God Bows Down to President Donald J. Trump’ Sign
The sign was attributed to a New Jersey man with a long history of mocking the president from his home.
Captain Cook’s Death: Why Anti-Colonialists Celebrate February 14th
The British explorer met a violent demise on Valentine’s Day in 1779.
Jeff Bezos Bought a $165M House, the Equivalent of a $75 House if You Make $60,000 a Year?
“Bezos math” once again circulated on social media, when the Amazon chief executive officer’s $165 million house purchase was placed in purported terms of a $60,000-a-year wage earner.
Trump Intervenes in Sentencing of Lobbyist Who Spread Corrosive Disinformation on His Behalf
Roger Stone, who for years worked with business partner Paul Manafort, specializes in smears and spectacles.
Was Amazon’s First CFO Killed by One of the Company’s Delivery Trucks?
The cause of former chief financial officer Joy Covey’s death was reported in December 2019, years after her passing.
Tennessee State Legislature’s Bill to Recognize CNN, Washington Post as ‘Fake News’
A resolution purportedly aimed to label the two organizations as “fake” carried no financial penalties, nor would it have any effect on distribution of their news stories.
‘Can We Brainstorm Ways to Make This Sound Less Racist’ Michael Bloomberg Subreddit Post
A video post involving the New York City mayor turned Democratic presidential candidate and stop-and-frisk alongside a request to “brainstorm ways” to downplay racism was real, but possibly not sincere.
Did North Dakota Republicans ‘Block Native Americans From Voting’?
The legal fight over the state’s 2013 voter ID law continued in February 2020.
