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 derogatory “SJWs”) were “demanding” a gender-neutral Santa. Various versions of this story featured vague details about from where people might …
On December 12, 2018, a screenshot of a tweet attributed to Stephen King began circulating on Facebook and other social sites. It read: Fuck your wall. Split that 5 billion between at-risk children who don’t have lunches and vets who can’t get proper medical and psychological treatment. Fuck your vanity project. Do something good for …
Is a Scathing Stephen King Tweet About the Border Wall Real? Read More »
On December 12, 2018, a purported Department of Homeland Security memo about the proposed border wall began circulating on social media. Titled “Walls Work,” its original wording was widely described widely as “bizarre” due in part to its unusual, labored syntax. Visiting direct links to the memo led to a page that read in part: WE …
On December 11, 2018, a Facebook user shared the following image and caption purportedly showing a genuine calcified fetus: 80 year old lady [emoji], went to have a cat-scan, and they found a fetus that’s been in her cervix for 30 years The referenced phenomenon (a calcified fetus or lithopedion) is real, but many readers …
Did a Medical Scan of an 80-Year-Old Woman Reveal a Calcified Fetus? Read More »
On December 12, 2018, the Federalist Papers Project — a known purveyor of corrosive disinformation — published “Migrants DEMAND $50,000 Each to go Home, Or Else …” (filed under “opinion”), an article littered with racist imagery and calls for violence: If you needed any more proof that the migrant caravans at our Southern border are NOT what …
Did ‘Migrants’ Demand $50,000 Each to Leave the United States? Read More »
On November 18, 2018, after destructive wildfires tore through northern California, the following image was shared to Facebook: Its caption read: A rattlesnake frozen in death during the California wildfires. His last defiant act was to strike at the flames that consumed him. RIP dear snake. This particular image (inaccurately) featured a location of “Paradise …
Is This a Real Photo of a Rattlesnake That Died in a Wildfire? Read More »
When the meme below appeared on Facebook via the page The Pink Shorts Movement on November 28 2018, we were skeptical: The text read: DID YOU KNOW: Airbags deploy between 100 & 220 MPH. If you ride with your feet on the dash, you may send your knees through your eye sockets if the airbag …
Can Airbags Send Your Knees ‘Through Your Eye Sockets’ When Deployed? Read More »
On December 10 2018, shortly after accused Russian intelligence asset Mariia Butina reportedly entered a plea deal with prosecutors for working as an unregistered agent of a foreign power, the Facebook page “Occupy Democrats” shared the following photograph showing Butina with Donald Trump, Jr.: Text overlaying the image read: Whatever you do, DON’T share this embarrassing newly-obtained …
Does a ‘Newly Obtained’ Photograph Show Donald Trump, Jr. with Accused Spy Maria Butina? Read More »
On December 9, 2018, the Facebook page “Unbelievable facts” shared the following meme, which held that nearly ten percent of Americans genuinely believed that chocolate milk was produced by brown cows: Users interested enough to go Googling for the provided citation at Unbelievable facts blog could locate the same meme, which featured a red button …
Do Nearly Ten Percent of Americans Think Chocolate Milk Comes from Brown Cows? Read More »
On December 3 2018, a Facebook user named Danny Rice shared the following image and caption (archived here): Please pray for us our Toys For Tots storage container were broken into and our toys taken! We have over 1,500 families to serve on the 15th please pray The post appeared with only a photograph of …
Is a Facebook Post About Stolen ‘Toys for Tots’ Christmas Gifts Legitimate? Read More »
