Society

Did a widely-shared video show a white man at a zoo, arguing with a Black woman over her anti-Donald Trump hat? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scripted scenario. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios, and is affiliated with Network Media, a company that rents out film…

Did a widely-shared video show a real nurse and police officers falsely accusing a Black man of being drunk, and calling him "Drunky McDrunk Pants? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scripted scenario. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios, and is affiliated with Network Media, a company…

Did the National Archives announce it would indefinitely restrict access of the general public to its facility in College Park, starting July 7, 2025? Yes, such a notice briefly appeared on the NARA website in connection with then-planned changes in the security protocol. Later, however, NARA's account on X said that the facility would remain open to the general public,…

Was a Dayton, Ohio teenager named Kameron Price fined and placed under house arrest in June 2025 after hacking the city's traffic control system and fixing several intersections? No, that's not true: The story was fabricated and appeared to be satirical in its origins. Photos posted with the story were fake and showed signs of having been AI-generated. The story…

Does a widely-circulated video on social media authentically show an ICE agent outsmarted by a man he accused of being an illegal immigrant in a supermarket? No, that's not true: The video is a scripted skit using actors on a studio set. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios and is affiliated with Network Media, a…

Did a widely-shared image provide an authentic record of Niagara Falls turning "blood red" in June 2025? No, that's not true: The image was first posted by a Facebook page that regularly posts fictional content and AI-generated images. A spokesperson for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation confirmed that the story and image were "not…

Is a child who was slammed onto the floor at the Sheremetyevo airport an Iranian citizen? No, that's not true: According to the Iranian ambassador to Russia, the child seen in the viral video is Afghan. Earlier, a Russian regional commissioner for children's rights said that the critcally injured toddler comes from an Afghan family with Russian citizenship that resides…

Did Ali Khameini, Supreme Leader of Iran, post a congratulatory message on X.com, telling New York mayoral primary election winner Zohran Mamdani "Our work has only just begun"? No, that's not true: The owner of the account where the post first appeared followed it up with a comment that reads: "In case it wasn't obvious, I made it up." Khameini's…

Did a widely-shared video show a Black undercover FBI agent "schooling" a police officer in a supermarket after the officer stopped and questioned him at the checkout? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scripted scenario. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios, and is affiliated with Network Media,…

Did Disney ban MAGA hats from their theme parks in June 2025? No, that's not true: The claim originated on Mouse Trap News, which describes its output as "satire and parody". We found no evidence to suggest that the rumor was even inadvertently true. The claim appeared in a June 18, 2025, post on Instagram. The embedded video bore the…

Did widely-shared social media posts accurately show that a Cuban singer who performed a pro-Donald Trump song was Yanet Correa, whose husband was later ordered to be deported by the Trump administration in 2025? No, that's not true: The woman shown singing "I will vote for Donald Trump" was Ana Pinelli Paez. The second woman, shown crying outside a Miami…

Did Dunkin' Donuts' CEO announce in June 2025 that a woke ad campaign cost the company $1 billion, forcing it to backtrack? No, that's not true: The story is fiction and copies the idea, but not the words, of a September 2024 spoof produced by a Facebook page specializing in satirical news stories. No evidence-based news organization has published or…

Did Vice President Kamala Harris say "If we elect Trump, we will be at war within 6 months" as multiple viral memes claim she did? No, that's not true: There is no publicly available proof she said it. None of the multiple versions of the meme provides the time or place when she is supposed to have said it. Had…

Did NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace call for the white flag, which signals the final lap of a race, to be banned, in June 2025? No, that's not true: The rumor originated on a Facebook page that publishes sports-related "sports parodies" and "satire". Wallace, who is Black, previously called for NASCAR to ban displays of the Confederate flag at races, which…

Did a video of a large crowd walking through the streets of a city show people fleeing Tel Aviv en masse in June 2025? No, that's not true: The clip was recorded in Russia. It showed an annual pilgrimage organized by the Russian Orthodox Church. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X on June 19, 2025. It…

Did a viral video show passengers singing with a flight attendant waving an Israeli flag, in June 2025? No, that's not true: Posts on social media reused an old recording. The footage had been on the internet since October 2023. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X on June 19, 2025. It read: Israel carries out a…

Did Paul McCartney give his private jet to a WW2 vet to help the 102-year-old American reunite with his wartime lover? No, that's not true: The text and supporting images in a story making the claim were generated by artificial intelligence tools. There is no documentation that the former Beatle lent his plane to an elderly veteran for a flight…

Did former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning buy a dog rescue shelter that was about to close? No, that's not true: A viral Facebook post contained no more than fan fiction and an image that appeared to be AI-generated. The page that published it regularly posts similar heartwarming (and fabricated) stories about Manning, along with pictures that appear AI-generated. The story…

Did Disney and Playboy announce in June 2025 that they would be collaborating to produce a special $50 edition of the magazine? No, that's not true: The claim originated on Mouse Trap News, which describes its output as "satire and parody". We found no evidence to suggest that the rumor was even inadvertently true. The claim appeared in a June…

Did a widely-shared video show an Iranian woman dancing in the rain in June 2025, as a protest against that country's "Islamic regime"? No, that's not true: The clip showed Tamta Sabelashvili, a Georgian influencer and personal trainer who lives in France. She posted the video in 2023, meaning it had no connection to the Iran-Israel conflict that took place…