Onion And Satire

Did Disney decide to remove Mickey Mouse as the official mascot in 2024 because the famous mouse's copyright is going to expire -- and will the purple dragon Figment take Mickey's place? No, that's not true: The claim, along with a digitally edited photo, originated on a satire website called mousetrapnews.com that specializes in fake stories about Disney parks. Clear…

Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launch an anti-smoking effort with a video ad that uses the tagline "It's Gay to Smoke"? No, that's not true: The video is from a fake story created more than a decade ago by the satire news site The Onion, and the CDC told Lead Stories the agency had never produced…

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…

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…

Was Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, arrested by U.S. Navy SEALs on June 1, 2021? No, that's not true: Not only is there no credible information about such an arrest, but Fauci has made several telecommunications and public appearances since June 1, 2021 and federal law bars the U.S. military from taking…