Kim LaCapria

Kim LaCapria is a New York-based Content Manager, fact checker, and folklore enthusiast. She began debunking viral urban legends full-time in 2009, and in 2014 became the first editorial employee of Snopes.com, authoring thousands of political and viral fact checks. For several years, she worked to modernize the site and broaden its profile and scope. Those efforts came to fruition in 2016, leading to acclaim and global acknowledgement of the necessity for fact-checking and its role in slowing mis-and-disinformation on social media. Kim joined TruthOrFiction.com in December 2018. After work, she enjoys air hockey, water parks, jjimjilbangs, and internet culture.

Are More Americans Killed Annually by Lack of Affordable Healthcare Than by Terrorists or Undocumented Immigrants?

Fact Checks, Politics / By /

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 lack of affordable healthcare than from terrorist attacks and illegal immigration combined. Teanderthal Party didn’t share any commentary alongside …

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bandersnatch_urban_legend

Is ‘Bandersnatch’ a Real Game?

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By /

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 them claims that the story was (at least in part) based on real-life events. “Bandersnatch” follows a young British video game designer named Stefan who begins to …

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Nearly two-thirds of US adults unaware 6m Jews killed in the Holocaust – study

Do Two-Thirds of Millennials Not Know What Auschwitz Is?

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By /

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 April 12 2018, “One-Third of Americans Don’t Believe 6 Million Jews Were Murdered During the …

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Did a Twitter User Claim a Border Wall GoFundMe Campaign Got ‘Almost Halfway’ to a Billion Dollars?

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By /

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 and Mexico (created and pushed by Brian Kolfage, who has a history of …

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wonderful_life_communist

Did the FBI Declare That ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Was ‘Communist Propaganda’?

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By /

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’s A Wonderful Life was released, The FBI thought it was communist propaganda due to the wealthy banker being the villain. — …

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