Facebook Claims We’re ‘Clickbait.’ And It Won’t Explain Why.
The platform uses an opaque process to determine which sites have less reach there — and they’re not revealing anything about it.
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Will 154,000,000 Pieces of Plastic from Christmas Crackers in the UK Wind Up in the Ocean in a Single Year?
Here’s how the rumor about hundreds of millions of pieces of “crackers” becoming ocean plastic got started.
Did The Movie ‘Venom’ Get More Money Than Fire Relief for the Brazilian Amazon?
A Hollywood professional’s criticism of the G7’s aid effort for Brazil is accurate.
Instagram Copyright Hoax
Various high-profile people fell for an old, fake “notice” against Instagram that has circulated online since 2012.
Is This ‘a Feminist’ Exposing Herself to Students During a Field Trip?
An image taken deliberately out of its context was used as outrage-bait on Twitter and blogs.
Can Grill Brushes Cause You to Ingest Metal and Become Ill?
On July 14 2019, a Facebook user shared a photograph purportedly illustrating the risks posed by grill brushes and the metal they can leave behind attaching to food that is consumed. In an attached status update, the poster warned: I would suggest to anyone that has a metal brush to clean your grill get rid …
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Have Arrest Warrants Been Issued for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama?
Despite fears of “deepfake” videos and other high-tech ways disinformation could potentially proliferate in the very near future, the stories that still get the most traction are often decidedly low effort. Take, for example, the case of a May 2019 story with the provocative headline “Panel of 16 Judges Agrees: Barr Has Enough to Indict Clinton …
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Will a Kentucky Bill Mandate That Women Confirm Whether They’re Pregnant Every Month?
A protest amendment to HB 148 appearing to require notarized monthly statements from fertile women was mistaken for sincere legislation by some readers.
Can You Grow ‘Tiffany Blue Roses’ from Seeds?
On May 5 2019, the Facebook page “Crafty Morning” shared a photograph of and affiliate link to purported “Tiffany Blue” roses (archived here), urging page fans to click through and purchase seeds to grow the stunning flowers: The post was captioned “Have you ever seen a Tiffany Blue Rose? ????” and it was shared more than …
Is Popeye’s Offering ‘Emotional Support Chicken’ to Harried Travelers?
On December 18, 2018, a spate of posts and articles about fast food chain Popeye’s new “emotional support chicken” appeared on social media: The move appeared to be a stunt that was either tasty or tasteless, depending on your perspective. Although several general news outlets posted about the Popeye’s product, readers and social media users …
Is Popeye’s Offering ‘Emotional Support Chicken’ to Harried Travelers? Read More »