Society

Does the German government publish a sexual education website that includes a cartoon panel saying "Most German men will be happy to have gay sex with immigrants"? No, that's not true: The phrase doesn't appear on the German sex education site. The version circulating on X.com is a doctored version of an infographic used in multiple countries. The panel appearing…

Does the 'Big Beautiful Bill' declare children self-sufficient at age eight, ineligible for food benefits and expected to work to support their family? No, that's not true: H.R.1, passed by the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025, would change work rules for parents. If passed by the Senate and signed into law unamended, it would require most parents receiving…

Did a "Military Court in Betheda, Maryland" dismiss a discrimination case brought by Admiral Rachel Levine, as a viral meme claimed? No, that's not true: The meme, which also referred to Levine as "Biden's DEI Admiral", originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up…

Did a Florida court rule that two newsrooms have to be stripped of their Pulitzer Prizes for covering the role of Russia in the 2016 election campaign? No, that's not true: The court's ruling was procedural. The judge only allowed the case to continue, denying the defendants' petition for a stay. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on…

Did a still image shared widely in May 2025 really show a Black teen about to be arrested on outstanding warrants, immediately after walking at his high school graduation? No, that's not true: The image was originally posted by the young man's mother, Queena Foster, who also posted a video of her son resuming his seat immediately after that moment,…

Did the 241 inhabitants of a town called Tremont, Nevada mysteriously disappear overnight in July 1954? No, that's not true: Tremont, Nevada never existed. The story originated in May 2025 on an Instagram account that posts horror fiction. The claim started in a May 22, 2025, post on Instagram (archived here), and read in part: "The last call? A child…

Did a widely-shared video authentically show an "emotional support kangaroo" denied entry to a plane, as the animal's owner argues with gate staff? No, that's not true: The clip originated on an Instagram account that produces AI-generated content. The text on the kangaroo's boarding pass, and the non-existent language spoken by the humans in the video, were clues that the…

Did a widely-shared video authentically show an argument on a bus after a Black man rested his feet on a white woman's wheelchair? No, that's not true: The clip was in fact a sketch, and showed actors following a script. The account that originally posted the video regularly produces fictional content with the stated aim of "starting conversations". The video…

Did a widely-shared image of a bearded man show the individual arrested in Liverpool after a car drove into a crowd of celebrating soccer fans in May 2025? No, that's not true: Merseyside Police confirmed to Lead Stories that the photo doesn't show the man arrested in that case. That person was described as a "53-year-old white British man from…

Are "Oscar Mayer Freedom Franks" featuring red, white and blue sausages a real product? No, that's not true: A viral image of such wieners was created as a Fourth of July joke in 2023 by an Instagram account that says it creates "original memes, mashups & fake products". A search on Oscar Mayer's website did not show any such product…

Has "Harvard" announced a plan to blacklist President Donald Trump supporters on campus, as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: The SideChat screenshot of the plan circulating on social media is clearly one person's idea ("I think we blacklist...") and not an institutional policy or proposal. In the last week of May, 2025, there was no public…

Did an image shown to the public by U.S. President Donald Trump during a May 21, 2025 meeting with his South African counterpart in the Oval Office capture a mass burial of "white farmers" in that country? No, that's not true: The image was a screenshot of Reuters footage showing a different country. The recording captured humanitarian workers assisting with…

Did a viral video really show Pope Leo XIV publicly criticizing JD Vance for his reaction to former President Joe Biden's cancer announcement? No, that's not true: The clip used AI-generated sound to make it appear the Pope scolded Vance for attacking Biden with "cold, calculated words" and lacking "human compassion". No actual news websites reported that the Pope publicly…

Did the footage shown to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on May 21, 2025 in the Oval Office capture a mass grave of "over 1,000 of white farmers", as claimed by U.S. President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: The video showed a 2020 temporary memorial, not a burial site. People who participated in the memorial demonstration did not refer…

Did Representative Ilhan Omar fail to condemn the shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers at the Capital Jewish Museum, as a social media post implied? No, that's not true: The Minnesota congresswoman posted she was appalled by the shooting and offered thoughts and prayers to the families in a post on X at 9:17 AM Pacific Time on May 22,…

Did a photograph shared online show the victims of a May 21, 2025 shooting outside a Jewish museum in Washington D.C.? No, that's not true: The Israeli embassy named Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim as the two embassy staff shot dead. The picture in question showed two men, neither of them Lischinsky, holding Israeli flags. The claim appeared in…

Did the UN say that 14,000 babies would die if there is no aid to Gaza in 48 hours? Yes, the organization's representative did cite such a figure, but that figure appears to have been drawn from a UN prediction that covered roughly a year between April 2025 and March 2026, not a single day. Here is what we know…

Does a viral image show Karmelo Anthony attending prom with someone wearing a dress made out of banknotes despite a criminal investigation into fatal stabbing charges in Texas? No, that's not true: The person in the image is not him. The X account in which the photos and claim appeared labels itself a parody account. Previously, a local news outlet…

Did President Donald Trump announce in a video that "Pride Month is canceled" and that it would be replaced with something called "Confidence Month" in June? No, that's not true: A viral video that also has Trump saying things like "poop is poop" and "pride is a sin" had an audio track generated using AI. The video part was from…

Were people in Kentucky not warned ahead of the May 16, 2025 tornado that killed more than 20 people in the southeastern part of the state? No, that's not true: The National Weather Service issued warnings two days ahead. Multiple state officials, including Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, have said there's no evidence the National Weather Service tornado warnings were delayed…