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obama_shutdown_force_obamacare

Did President Barack Obama Shut Down the Government to ‘Force Obamacare’ in 2013?

Fact Checks, Politics / By /

On December 29, 2018, a Facebook user posted a status update claiming that a federal shutdown over border wall funding was similar to one in 2013 — and it was purportedly initiated by President Barack Obama: This was nearly identical to a December 22, 2018 post shared hundreds of thousands of times. The version above (which …

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Are More Americans Killed Annually by Lack of Affordable Healthcare Than by Terrorists or Undocumented Immigrants?

Fact Checks, Politics / By /

On December 20 2018, the Facebook page “Teanderthal Party” posted the following meme about healthcare, “illegal immigration,” terror attacks, and the mortality rate in the United States: It stated: FACT: More Americans die every year from lack of affordable healthcare than from terrorist attacks and illegal immigration combined. Teanderthal Party didn’t share any commentary alongside …

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Candy canes in a jar.

Did a Principal Ban Candy Canes Because the ‘J’ Symbolizes Jesus?

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By /

On December 5 2018, The Blaze published an article titled “Principal banned candy canes because ‘J’ shape stands ‘for Jesus.’ But that was just for starters.” The item centered on a law firm devoted to “evangelical Christian” interests (Liberty Counsel), its assertion that Manchester Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska had “banned” Christmas items, and its …

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Woman at a window taking photos of the inside of a home.

Facebook Spread Fake News, Hired ‘Trackers’ to Smear Critics

Analysis, Disinformation, Reporting / By /

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 …

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Yellow tape bearing the word "CAUTION."

The Florida Mail Bombs Are Not ‘False Flags’

Crime / Police, Disinformation, Fact Checks, Politics / By /

In the final days of October 2018, after a series of glass-packed pipe bombs were delivered to high-profile critics of United States President Donald Trump, rumors ran wild about who the suspect was and what he wanted. Few of these theories were organic, and instead appeared to have originated from the usual suspects — throwaway …

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Map of the world with silhouettes of people seeking refuge superimposed over it.

Rumors About Caravan of Asylum-Seekers Reach New Heights

Analysis / By /

As a caravan consisting of thousands of asylum-seekers from Central America drew ever closer to Mexico’s border with the United States to prepare to turn themselves in to border authorities en masse and request asylum, the usual fearmongering suspects did what they do best: whipping up racial hatred with disinformation and propaganda. “Democrat approved migrant …

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Old-model cellular phones lined up on a table.

Do Mobile Phones and Other 4G Devices Contain an ‘E911 Chip’?

Disinformation, Fact Checks, Viral Content / By /

Testing for a new cellular phone alert system (the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, also known as IPAWS) began on October 3rd, 2018, with a tone and a message sent across mobile networks. The grumbling began almost immediately, as startled or irritated Americans reacted to the unsolicited (but anticipated) test, but the griping turned …

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