Did the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast Recognize Bill Barr for ‘Christlike Behavior’?
The decision to bestow its “Christifideles Laici Award” on Attorney General Bill Barr caused controversy in September 2020.
Viral Content
‘During WWII, Lipstick Became a Sign of Patriotism’
A piece of fashion-related wartime history circulated again on social media in August 2020.
CDC Removes ‘Airborne’ COVID-19 Content
In September 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added — and then removed — information about aerosolized spread of SARS-CoV-2.
‘A Florida Woman Has Been Accused of Driving a Motorized Shopping Cart Through Target, Drinking Wine, Eating Sushi and Cinnamon Rolls’
Two unrelated pieces of content were mashed up in a meme about a woman purportedly accused of driving a motorized shopping cart around Target, drinking wine and eating sushi and cinnamon rolls.
Did a Life Insurance Company’s Attempt to Curb Suicide on a South Korea Bridge Precede an Increase in Deaths?
A popular post on Reddit’s r/therewasanattempt claimed that Samsung Life Insurance’s effort to decrease suicide attempts backfired horribly.
Attempted Florida Pizza Shop Abduction: ‘Hold Tight to Your Babies. 😭😭 They Are Coming for Them’
A viral video of a purported attempted abduction fed into the 2020 child trafficking panic, but it was often spread without context.
Did NFL Fans Boo During a ‘Moment of Unity’?
The jeering was captured on videos that quickly spread online.
Did a Single Gender Reveal in California Cause More Property Damage Than All of 2020’s Black Lives Matter Protests Combined?
A viral Facebook post claimed that a disastrous pyrotechnics display cost more in “property damage” than the widely covered pro-human rights demonstrations.
‘You Do Know that Eliminating the Payroll Tax Defunds Social Security, Don’t You?’
The effects of a plan pushed by Trump depend on whether there is legislation passed to cover that cost.
Was the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally a Super-Spreader Event?
Social media posts suggested the August 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally generated more than $12 billion in healthcare costs and may have led to as many as a quarter of a million new cases.
