Fact Checks

Do Federal Guidelines List ‘Go Back Where You Came From’ as an Example of Harassment?

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By /

On July 16 2019, producer Nick Ramsey sent a tweet referencing a controversy involving U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that people unhappy with the United States should “go back to where they came from”: Ramsey referenced a controversy which arose in response to tweets published by Trump on July 14 2019: In the tweets, Trump …

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Did Riots and War End Japanese Internment, Slavery, and World War II?

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On July 16 2019, the Facebook page “Close the Camps” shared the following screenshot (archived here) of a Facebook post asserting that riots, rebellion, and war were necessary to put a stop to concentration camps, World War II, and slavery: The original post was published by Facebook user Rick Glass that same day. In full, it …

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Did United States President Barack Obama Remove a ‘Citizenship Question’ from the Census?

Disinformation, Fact Checks / By /

In July 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based status update about the census-related “citizenship question,” which claimed that such a question had existed on the United States Census for 160 years — until President Obama outlawed it: Like so many other status update memes before it, the text against a colorful background with no supporting evidence and …

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Did ‘Leftist Protesters’ Scream ‘F*** the Troops’ at a Detention Facility Protest in Aurora?

Disinformation, Fact Checks / By /

On July 15 2019, Facebook user DC Draino and Twitter user @StClairAshley shared footage purportedly showing a confrontation between StClair and unnamed “leftist protesters” outside an immigration detention facility in Aurora, Colorado: It was heavily implied, though not stated outright, that this was during the co-ordinated July 12, 2019 Lights for Liberty protests that took place …

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‘YesJuliet’ Instagram Murder Rumors

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On July 14 2019, rumors began spreading on Instagram, Reddit, Discord, 4Chan, Twitter, and other social media sites about purported disturbing posts shared by Instagram user @YesJuliet about an alleged murder of a 17-year-old girl named Bianca Devins (@escty and @beegtfo.) Disturbing images were shared to 4Chan’s /pol/ board (archived here), and a longer thread updating …

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Was the U.S. Women’s National Team Defeated by Teenaged Boys in a 2017 Soccer Match?

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After the United States Women’s National Team beat the Netherlands 2 to 0 to win the World Cup in July 2019, the fans of the nation’s soccer team were delighted. It also lent serious heft to the players’ demand for pay and treatment equal to that of the U.S. Soccer mens’ teams in a lawsuit that USWNT …

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Was Lil Nas X Dropped by Wrangler After He Came Out as Gay?

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On July 1 2019, country hip-hop musician Montero Lamar Hill — better known as Lil Nas X — published tweets subtly alluding to his sexual orientation: Two hours [after tweeting about a UK appearance], the Atlanta-born [Lil Nas X] and arguably the new face of country music came out as a member of the LGBTQ …

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