&Quot;Law Talk&Quot;

Does a video of a woman in a green shirt bashing a tray table against the airplane seat of the man in front of her show a real incident? No, that's not true: The video clip of the man getting annoyed and eventually moving to the seat behind the woman and doing the same to her to teach her a…

Did a widely-shared video show an argument between a police officer and four undercover FBI agents on an airplane? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scripted scenario. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios, and is affiliated with Network Media, a company that rents out film sets to…

Does a viral video really show a cop on his first day on the job trying to remove a black man from a courtroom until it turns out he is the judge? No, that's not true: The video appeared on a Facebook page associated with a company that rents out sets where influencers can film videos. The "courtroom" is one…

Did a widely-shared video show a real nurse and police officers falsely accusing a Black man of being drunk, and calling him "Drunky McDrunk Pants? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scripted scenario. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios, and is affiliated with Network Media, a company…

Does a widely-circulated video on social media authentically show an ICE agent outsmarted by a man he accused of being an illegal immigrant in a supermarket? No, that's not true: The video is a scripted skit using actors on a studio set. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios and is affiliated with Network Media, a…

Did a widely-shared video show a Black undercover FBI agent "schooling" a police officer in a supermarket after the officer stopped and questioned him at the checkout? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scripted scenario. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios, and is affiliated with Network Media,…

Did a widely-shared video show real police officers handcuffing a Black man in a restaurant who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scripted scenario. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios, and is affiliated with Network Media, a company that…

Did a widely-shared video show an authentic gas station encounter between a "racist cop" and a Black "Navy Seal"? No, that's not true: The video originated on a Facebook page that publishes dramatic, scripted public disputes. The individuals in the footage were actors. The video was presented as authentic in a May 10, 2025, post on TikTok (archived here). Embedded…

Does a viral video on social media authentically document a passenger who threw a tantrum over not getting a seat in first class, wouldn't get off and had to be dragged from the plane? No, that's not true: The "passenger" is an actor who has appeared in multiple social media videos, playing a flight attendant, a passenger, a store clerk…

Does a police body cam video show an authentic incident in which an officer is demanding that a Black man in a business suit hand over his identification while shopping in a boutique store? No, that's not true: The video first appeared on a Facebook page that features actors in skits depicting confrontations between citizens and police. The same actors…