&Quot;The Onion&Quot;

Do cut onions placed around a house purify the air by pulling viruses, toxins, bacteria and fungus out of the air, and will this process keep people from getting sick? No, that's not true: This folk remedy goes back hundreds of years, but there is no scientific evidence that cut onions have the ability to act as an air purifier,…

Does a video show President Joe Biden singing the popular children's song "Baby Shark" during a news conference? No, that's not true: The video is a deepfake created for entertainment purposes and apparently first posted by a social media creator whose bio explains they regularly post video content that has been artificially created. The claim appeared in an October 17,…

Does a video show "Rep. John Haller" of Pennsylvania reading through the "HR 8791 -- the Homeland Terrorism Preparedness Bill" and interrupting his reading by repeatedly saying material is "classified"? No, that's not true: There was no Rep. John Haller representing Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District in 2007 when the video originally appeared. And there was no HR 8791 during that…

Does a video posted on social media show a newscast with real journalists describing Mark Zuckerberg as a CIA agent and Facebook as a CIA surveillance replacement program? No, that's not true: The original video and audio heard in this post were produced more than a decade ago by the Onion News Network (ONN), part of a satirical news website.…

Does a video posted on social media show a man reacting to a news interview about gays in the military that says they're "too precious to risk in combat"? No, that's not true: The original piece was produced more than a decade ago by The Onion, a satirical news website that began publishing online in 1996. The video showing a…

Is this an authentic photo of Steve Bannon? No, that's not true: This photo has been altered. The original photo was taken by photographer Mark Wilson for Getty Images on April 20, 2017. The photo has been edited to change the overall contrast and color saturation to add blemishes, bloody mouth and stained shirt. The image search engine TinEye shows…

Is a 1927 news article saying that America was sold to five billionaires real? No, that's not true: This is a photo of a fake headline from a book published by The Onion, a website whose disclaimer says their content is "satirized." The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on January 13, 2022. Above the image of an…

Did Joe Rogan lose his Spotify deal and millions of dollars after he promoted the horse dewormer, ivermectin, as the cure for COVID-19? No, that's not true: The blog that wrote the claim, Laughing in Disbelief, is a satirical blog with a disclaimer on its content. Rogan is still making content for his podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience," and Spotify…

Does placing a wet towel near the cutting surface when slicing onions prevent crying by absorbing the irritating enzymes released? No, there is no evidence that this cooking hack works better than any other methods. The reason why slicing onions makes cooks cry is a complicated reaction between various enzymes released from the onion's sliced cells that form to produce…

Was a massive root system discovered under Devils Tower, a geological formation designated as a national monument in Wyoming? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Wyoming State Parks confirmed that the claim originated from a satirical social media post. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on July 6, 2021. The post featured a picture of…