Did a Study Find U.S. Healthcare Costs More Than Four Times as Much as Canadian Single-Payer?
Widely shared articles claimed that Americans pay much more on average for health services as their Canadian neighbors do under their single-payer system.
Viral Content
‘Blue Buffalo Dental Bones Hemorrhagic Gastritis’ Facebook Warning
A Facebook user’s post claiming that Blue Buffalo brand Dental Bones gravely sickened her dog Dallas was shared nearly half a million times in just a few days.
Were an Army Veteran’s Prosthetic Legs ‘Repossessed’ After a VA and Medicare Dispute?
News stories about a veteran’s repossessed legs claimed that various entities disputed payments for the artificial limbs.
Does Using Antidepressants Disqualify You from a Military Draft?
Escalating tensions between the United States and Iran in January 2020 sparked rumors that using antidepressants was a shield against being drafted to serve in the military.
‘Say NO to Piercing Guns’ Viral Facebook Post
Should you say no to piercing guns? It depends who’s wielding it, and on factors such as a sterile setting and trained professional are more strongly linked with safe piercing.
‘Don’t Abbreviate 2020’ Warning
A meme that warns people not to abbreviate “2020” is being regurgitated by police and framed as a “legal warning.” Sounds like an urban legend to us.
‘Missing’ Hiker Emoji Mandela Effect
Do you recall an emoji of a hiker with a walking stick or sticks? Apparently it never existed, but others remember it too.
Aboriginal Flag on the Right, Australia Burning on the Left
Several versions of a comparison between the Australian Aboriginal flag and a photograph of Australia’s night sky while bushfires raged spread on social media in December 2019 and January 2020.
Best Buy ‘Y2K’ Sticker
As social media users rang in 2020, a purported throwback for the anticipated Y2K crisis from Best Buy went viral.
‘I Did Not Take This Photo and I Don’t Know Who Did’ Australian Community Firefighters Image
In the wake of deadly and devastating fires in Australia in December 2019 and January 2020, a miscaptioned photograph showing firefighters from California circulated with prayer requests.
