&Quot;Law Talk&Quot;

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…