The issue of “school lunch debt” prompted heated debates in July 2019, thanks in part to an ongoing controversy in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The topic of incurring debt for school lunches in the Pennsylvania county came to national attention around July 20 2019, when multiple news organizations reported on letters received by families in the …
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania ‘School Lunch Debt’ Controversy Read More »
Update, September 20 2019, 11:03 AM: In the early morning hours of September 20 2019, “#Area51Storm” and “Area 51” began trending on Twitter. (We were unable to find a valid Storm Area 51 livestream as the event unfolded.) A popular image set shared both to the “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us” Facebook …
‘Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us,’ Explained Read More »
April 2019 saw the culmination of a months-long popular uprising in the country of Sudan, when its former president Omar al-Bashir stepped down from his post. The Sudanese military quickly took control of the country in what it called a transitional phase. In the weeks following al-Bashir’s ouster, however, clashes became both deadlier and more …
Scams and Hoax Accounts Proliferate on Instagram Read More »
On the evening of May 15 2019, participants in popular Facebook groups and related pages became swamped by notifications that they were changing en masse from “closed” to “secret” after other groups with high membership counts were purportedly deleted (called “zucced” in Facebook group terminology, short for “Zuckerberg”) for initially unknown reasons. In announcement posts …
‘Indonesian Reporting Commission’ Facebook Purge Controversy Read More »
Traditionally, April Fools’ Day is a major “internet holiday” — but in recent years, roundups have largely consisted of a series of commercials designed to go viral on social media. Here is a list of April Fools’ Day 2019 pranks we’re updating throughout the day:
On the evening of January 8, 2019, United States President Donald Trump addressed the nation from the Oval Office on the topic of immigration and what he calls a humanitarian and national security crisis on the country’s southern border as a shutdown over wall funds continue. We have compiled a list of claims made by …
United States President Donald Trump’s Immigration Speech Read More »
A highly publicized caravan of people traveling from Central America in order to turn themselves in at the United States border to request asylum — one of many groups who have done so over the years — has been dogged from start to finish by false stories and threats spurred by that disinformation. One large …
From Central America to the United States Border, a Journey of Lies Read More »
In mid-November 2018, the New York Times published a bombshell report about Facebook that convulsed both traditional and social media. The beleaguered site has been at the center of scandal after fake news scandal from the mass displacement and genocide of Myanmar’s Rohingya people to the Brexit crisis — all enabled and abetted by disinformation and …
Facebook Spread Fake News, Hired ‘Trackers’ to Smear Critics Read More »
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has referred a possible scam to the Federal Bureau of Investigation after a number of reporters were contacted by someone apparently shopping a story about him sexually assaulting unidentified women: 13 days ago I received this tip alleging an attempt to pay off women to make up accusations of sexual misconduct …
Special Counsel’s Office Asks FBI to Investigate Smear Scheme Read More »
On October 18th, 2018, United States President Donald Trump fired off a volley of tweets about a large caravan of people wending their way from Honduras to the southern United States border: These statements were duly picked up and breathlessly repeated by news channels and pundits, spreading the story with crucial context omitted from the story, such …
The Truth About the Migrant Caravan Approaching the United States Read More »
