Truth or Fiction? – Page 86 – Seeking truth, exposing fiction

‘Swedish TV Accidentally Puts Subtitles from a Kids’ Show over a Political Debate’

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By Kim LaCapria / October 6, 2021

An October 2 2021 Facebook post (screengrab included) contained a claim that a Swedish TV station accidentally put subtitles from children’s’ programming over a political debate: Beneath an apparent username from an unspecified platform (“nerdeas,”) two captions appeared. The first was the post itself, and the second the purported subtitle (which had presumably been converted from Swedish …

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Project Veritas and ‘Nick Karl From Pfizer’

Disinformation, Fact Checks / By Kim LaCapria / October 5, 2021

The disinformation purveyors at Project Veritas are claiming that they “exposed Pfizer” with secret video of a scientist named Nick Karl.

Charlie Kirk ‘Cure’ Tweet

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By Kim LaCapria / October 5, 2021

Fake tweets quickly move outside their ecosystem on Reddit, as was the case with a tweet attributed to Charlie Kirk and initially labeled “satire.”

‘Humans Have Stripes’

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By Kim LaCapria / October 1, 2021

Social media posts claiming humans have invisible stripes were suddenly everywhere in September 2021.

Carl Sagan: ‘Once You Give a Charlatan Power Over You, You Almost Never Get It Back’

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By Kim LaCapria / October 1, 2021

A quote attributed to the science advocate and astronomer appeared on Imgur and Facebook in October 2021.

‘I Did My Own Research’ Gravestone Meme

Entertainment, Fact Checks / By Kim LaCapria / September 30, 2021

In late September 2021, an image of a macabre-but-timely “I did my own research” gravestone as Halloween decor spread virally across social media.

Ireland vs. Alabama COVID-19 Stats

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By Kim LaCapria / September 29, 2021

A September 28 2021 Imgur post (below) purportedly contrasted the state of Alabama with the Republic of Ireland in “Covid stats”; it appeared to be a screenshot of a post to r/Ireland from the same day: With the exception of the Reddit post’s last line (“… get the vaccine,”) both posts were identical. Eight bullet …

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Do National Son’s Day and National Daughter’s Day Even Exist?

Disinformation, Fact Checks / By Kim LaCapria / September 29, 2021

On September 27 2021, Facebook user Owen Youngman posted about “National Son’s Day” and “National Daughter’s Day,” two purported “National Days” prompting significant social media engagement. Youngman’s post encompassed two distinct topics we have addressed in recent fact checks: PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT cut and pasted from a professional colleague who advises large companies on digital …

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‘Facebook’s Top Ten’ on Twitter Abruptly Changes

Reporting / By Kim LaCapria / September 28, 2021

On September 28 2021, a single tweet from the “Facebook’s Top 10” Twitter account became notable not for what it showed, but for what it didn’t: The account, which was created in July 2020 and is curated by New York Times tech journalist Kevin Roose, publishes daily tweets concerning the sources of “the 10 top-performing …

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DHS Report Confirms Border Officials’ Surveillance Against Journalists and Activists

Disinformation, Reporting / By Arturo Garcia / September 27, 2021

Federal officials say border authorities wrongfully conducted surveillance against journalists and activists crossing between the United States and Mexico — but the United States stopped short of commenting on whether they broke the law in doing so. The Department of Homeland Security’s report addressed a practice first brought to light in a in a March …

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