CNN Missing 351K (or 400K) Votes in CA Recall Segment, Explained On September 15 2021, rumors that “351K” or “400K” votes had “disappeared” from California gubernatorial recall totals during a CNN segment were popular on social media: Someone explain to me why the Gavin Newsom recall effort had 351K votes DELETED from the YES total LIVE on CNN. What explanation is there for this?We need to […]
‘George Washington Mandated Inoculation’ On September 13 2021, a Facebook account shared a screenshot of the following tweet, which claimed that George Washington mandated inoculation: George Washington mandated inoculation against small pox. The Supreme Court has ruled state vaccine mandates to be constitutional for more than a century. We've had vaccine mandates, including for things like attending public schools, for […]
Norm Macdonald ‘When I Hear a Guy Lost a Battle to Cancer’ Quote On September 14 2021, the death of comedian Norm Macdonald was widely reported; soon after the news broke, a purported quote of Macdonald’s about “cancer” and “battles” began circulating on Imgur: Across news outlets, Macdonald’s death was attributed to long-term cancer, a diagnosis he did not publicly discuss. Macdonald was quoted as having said the […]
Right-Wing Disinformation Surges As California Recall Election Unfolds As the recall election against California governor Gavin Newsom drew closer to a close, both the leading right-wing candidate and conspiracy theorists continued pushing disinformation painting the process as “rigged” before polls even opened. As NBC News reported, Republican Larry Elder encouraged supporters to visit a website that claimed it had gathered evidence of fraud […]
Todd Starnes: ‘Biden Says Even Fox News Has A Mandatory Vaccine Policy’ On September 14 2021, a popular Imgur post showed a screenshot of a Todd Starnes tweet, in which Starnes questioned whether Fox News had a “mandatory vaccine policy”: Biden says even @FoxNews has a mandatory vaccine policy. Is that true? That can't be true. Have Hannity and Tucker and the others gotten the vaccine? That just can't be […]
CA Recall Election Disinformation Roundup In the lead up to the California gubernatorial recall election of September 14 2021, the usual disinformation purveyors went into high gear, poisoning the well with wall-to-wall claims of perfidy and election theft. Overall, the California recall and its elements were far-reaching, so we have broken this page up into parts. What’s the Deal with […]
‘I Know More Than the Scietists’ Protester On September 13 2021, a photograph of a man with a poorly spelled sign (“I know more than the scietists”) went viral on Twitter: this is where we’re at and it hurts. pic.twitter.com/GwM28DIBG2 — Andrew Baback Boozary MD (@drandrewb) September 13, 2021 One popular tweet read, “This is where we’re at and it hurts,” a […]
The Oklahoma Ivermectin Overdose Controversy A viral September 5 2021 tweet thread “debunking” a series of stories about ivermectin use and hospitals shows that disinformation and the way it is delivered is mutating. Republican public relations strategist and freelance writer Drew Holden’s thread began by addressing a Rolling Stone piece about Oklahoma ivermectin overdoses, its claims quickly solidifying into an article of […]
Did Elvis Presley’s Manager Sell ‘I Hate Elvis’ Buttons to Profit From ‘Haters’? On August 23 2021, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following meme, which asserted that Elvis Presley’s manager did pro-Elvis and anti-Elvis marketing, selling “I Hate Elvis” buttons to individuals who were not fans of the singer: Underneath a black-and-white image of Presley and another individual, text read: Elvis Presley’s manager sold “I hate Elvis” […]
Is San Francisco Paying Criminals $300 a Month Not to Shoot People? On September 8 2021, the unreliable Daily Wire published an item headlined, “San Francisco Is Going To Pay People $300 A Month Not To Shoot Others.” The outrage-baiting headline worked; soon it appeared atop Trendolizer.com’s “trending” list. The piece began by citing Fox News: In an attempt to reduce violent crime, San Francisco, California will launch […]
