Was a post's prediction accurate for a 6.0 to 6.5 magnitude earthquake in the San Francisco Bay between October 1 and 2, 2020? No, as anyone in the Bay Area or keeping up with news can testify, that didn't happen. Earthquakes are still unpredictable. While this graphic contains very specific details that give the impression of this being a measured,…
Did the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fraudulently add deaths from poisoning, trauma and unintentional injury to its tally of COVID-19 deaths? No, that's not true: That claim is based on a mischaracterization of CDC listings of patients' other health conditions, which are commonly listed on death certificates as "comorbidities." The claim cites as a source "c19study," an…
Was JFK Jr. spotted at the Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore on July 3, 2020? No, that's not true: John F. Kennedy Jr. died in plane crash in 1999, which makes it a certainty that the son of the 35th president of the United States did not attend the Mount Rushmore speech of the 45th, President Donald Trump.…
Is President Trump signing an executive order creating term limits for Congress? No, that's not true. Trump has no current plan to sign such an order, which would run up against a 1995 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Just as telling, the story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made-up…
Did Mitt Romney endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made-up stories that are clearly marked as satire when you actually click them. Articles from the site are frequently copied by foreign-run fake news websites.…
Did Woody Allen urge New Yorkers to "disown" President Trump? No, that's not true: This is a parody from a website stating it is "satire for flat earthers, Trumpsters and Y'all Qaeda." The article originated on a web site called Daily World Update on March 29, 2020, titled "Woody Allen: 'New York Should Disown Trump'" (archived here) which opened: As…
Did Fox News win a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting during the coronavirus crisis? Not, that's not true: The claim was made in a post on a site clearly labeled as satire and part of a well-known network of satirical websites that trolls conservatives with fiction to rile up their base. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published…
Does a website that urges people to "stay the f--- home" offer sound advice? Yes, it does, and here is some context: A medical doctor reviewed the suggestions for Lead Stories and said the website is sharing some "common sense" recommendations. The site (archived here) was launched by Florian Reifschneider on March 10, 2020, under the title "#StayTheFuckHome." It opened:…
Did U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, vow to cut social security entitlements for seniors at a rally? No, this is not true. A satire website with a long history of hoaxes originally posted the original article to troll conservatives and fool them into sharing the made-up story. It succeeded. The claim reappeared as an article (archived here) published…
Did U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is popularly known as AOC, propose a $10.5 billion cut to Social Security? No, that's not true: The Democratic congresswoman from New York never made such a proposal. The author of the post is trolling conservatives into believing and sharing these satirical stories as though they were real. The claim originated from an article…
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