fake news

Is the Hotel Closest To Area 51 Fully Booked for the ‘Storm Area 51’ Event?

Disinformation, Fact Checks / By /

Buzz about the viral “Storm Area 51” Facebook event continued through July 2019, including an article on a site called AnonNews.co about a flurry of hotel bookings for the venue nearest the famed military installation: Despite the warnings from the air force, and from a number of high profile Area 51 researchers, the event continues …

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Was Lil Nas X Dropped by Wrangler After He Came Out as Gay?

Disinformation, Fact Checks / By /

On July 1 2019, country hip-hop musician Montero Lamar Hill — better known as Lil Nas X — published tweets subtly alluding to his sexual orientation: Two hours [after tweeting about a UK appearance], the Atlanta-born [Lil Nas X] and arguably the new face of country music came out as a member of the LGBTQ …

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Did Pat Robertson Claim He Had a Vision of Jesus with an AK-47 in Camo, Signaling the Second Coming?

Disinformation, Fact Checks / By /

In April 2019, a story spread on social media about a purported vision experienced by televangelist Pat Robertson regarding Jesus’ return — complete with an AK-47 and camo clothing: Linked here was an April 6 2019 item from The Business Standard News (BS News), claiming: Televangelist Pat Robertson said he had received a message from Jesus …

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franklin_graham_AOC_ocasio_cortez_satanic_background

Did Franklin Graham Say Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has a ‘Satanic Background’?

Disinformation, Fact Checks / By /

In February 2019, an article from Business Standard News (BS News) contained the claim that evangelist Franklin Graham accused Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of coming from a “Satanic background”: We can’t go a day without some right-winger flipping out over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). The latest attack has come from evangelist Franklin Graham, who’s already known for his …

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mamasai_mamakusa_banned_crucifix

Did a Muslim Principal Ban Crucifixes in a Virginia School?

Disinformation, Fact Checks / By /

On January 30 2019, Facebook page “The Blacksphere” shared the following meme, purportedly depicting a Virginia principal named Mamasai Mamakusa: The meme was likely outrage-bait which implied that the nonexistent principal’s hijab constituted a form of religious expression, one she supposedly deemed acceptable for herself but not Christian students. Text added to what appeared to …

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chicago_man_loses_penis_frostbite

Did a Man Lose His Penis to Frostbite After Urinating Outside During a Cold Snap?

Disinformation, Fact Checks, Viral Content / By /

In early February 2019, the Facebook page Sexy Atheists shared a link to an article titled “Chicago Man Loses His Penis To Frostbite After Peeing Outside,” which appeared to report: The bitter cold in Chicago has kept hospitals busy, with doctors at one facility during the brunt of an Arctic freeze treating 50 frostbite victims, including …

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man_surgery_jesus_christ

Did a Man Get $200,000 of Surgery to Look Like Jesus Christ?

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By /

In late January 2019, an article appearing to report that a man spent $200,000 on surgery to look more like Jesus Christ began circulating on Facebook: A 30-year old man from Kentucky underwent some radical plastic surgery in order to physically resemble Jesus Christ. According to the Lexington Daily Tribune, Mark Emery has already been following …

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Was a Mother Arrested After Leaving Kids in the Car for Nine Hours at a Buffet?

Fact Checks, Viral Content / By /

A September 2018 World News Daily Report item titled “Mother arrested for leaving children in the car for 9 hours while at all-you-can-eat buffet” circulates regularly on Facebook. The story has a mugshot that purports to show the mother in the story: A mother was arrested yesterday after she left her four children aged between …

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ocasio_cortez_summoning_demons

Did a Preacher Say Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Was ‘Summoning Demons’ by Dancing?

Disinformation, Fact Checks / By /

On January 25 2019, the Facebook page “Pass The 28th Amendment (Complete Removal Of The Church From The State)” shared a news article about a preacher who purportedly claimed that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) was “summoning demons” in a viral video of her dancing in college: The page lamented: Pay close attention, folks. This is …

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New York Times newsroom, c. 1920.

How to Slow the Spread of Disinformation: A Guide for Newsrooms

Analysis / By /

Every day, a new fake story emerges with the power to affect policy or further corrode relationships, from interpersonal to international. This is corrosive disinformation, as different from garden-variety scams and hoaxes as a molehill is from a mountain. The difference is intent — not just to mislead, but to defraud and misinform — and scale. Simple …

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