Fact Checks

Stillbirths in Mississippi Doubled During Pandemic

On September 16 2021, an Imgur user shared the following screenshot, showing a headline’s claim that stillbirths had doubled in Mississippi since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic: A source for the headline was not visible in the screenshot, which was dated September 9 2021: Stillbirths have doubled during covid in Mississippi. Officials are sounding …

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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 …

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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”: On September 9 2021, Starnes tweeted: 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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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