TWS Fact Check

How do we know this is fake? Let us count the ways.

El Chapo, they are not.

A meme about nothing.

An old meme, reimagined.

An old meme, reimagined.

Tyler Durden would be proud.

Thou shalt not share fake news.

Just like leftover Halloween candy, this is old.

It's a party

No, he did not.

Another meme, another falsehood.

Texas v. Johnson v. incorrectly captioned photos.

Democracy dies in memedom.

George Soros, the Rothschilds, and Harold Wilson walk into a bar...

We aren’t proud of this one.

You've been bamboozled.

A comedy of errors.

If you have to ask ...

No truer now than it wasn't last year.

No.

"Oh look, TWS is defending Soros again." -Ace, probably.

Call it satire if you’d like, but it’s false information.

Noticias falsas.

"That's not funny." - my mom, probably.

Old falsehoods never die, they just (hopefully) fade away.

The dream lives on.

A picture is worth a thousand fake narratives.

“I will tell the truth tomorrow.”

Claims that the device sent to CNN was not delivered are pure bunk.

The Pentagon disagrees.

Some do. Some don't.

“Memes are dank”―(not) Abraham Lincoln.

Some mutated game of telephone as occurred.

Some mutated game of telephone as occurred.

She’s no Sanger.

Photoshop.

“In what world would that happen in?” Nick Miller, Season 5, Episode 22.

A simple rumor weed.

Right cause, wrong suffragette.

Actually, yes.

“Harness that energy.”

"I bless the fates it was not so." —Spartacus (War of the Damned).

"We are the tools and the vassals of the rich behind the scenes. We are marionettes. These men pull the strings and we dance."

Not that we know.

Let's roll the footage.

When ill-conceived jokes become false information.

So here's the thing about internet memes ...

Really?

Nope. No. Uh uh.

It's hard to say.

The promises of yesteryear blossom into the cruel satire of today.

Not a McNaughton painting.

A bunch of hogwash.

Kusha-Cola

Incorrect captions distort one’s perception.

It turns out, headlines matter.

“Time is a flat circle.”

When satire becomes false information.

Ixnay

Yes. And no.

"Come on!"—Gob Bluth

President Trump says that the Department of Justice had been investigating Collins and Hunter since the Obama years.

"Conspiracies baked in half-truths tend to balloon like bread dough"—Charlie LeDuff.

“Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast"—the Queen.

No.

Taxes pay for public schools. Water still wet.

Fool me once…

So crazy it just might work.

It’s not quite that simple.

Um, no.

Off by 82 grand and a few days.

No. It’s just amateur, unmarked, photoshopping.

What do you think?

We'll let you guess.

The site claims a "satire" label. Readers don't believe it.

Fake News can mimic reality in such a way that people begin to incorrectly dismiss actual reports. Take this headline from the station WHNT-19 in Alabama: “Jasper officers suspended for alleged ‘white power’ gesture.” The headline is paired with an image of the symbol known widely as an “O.K.”

Wrong Mayor. False Report.

An old rumor finds new life.

Are we talking about the same lawmaker?

Obvious fake news churns out real threats.

She wasn't even on the panel.

In the words of Run–D.M.C., it’s tricky.

Growth solves some problems, but it can't solve the government's spending addiction.

The mental-gymnastics award goes to…

BREAKING! No-name blogs peddle misinformation.

"MAGA Student" misses the mark.

Angry nerds, everywhere.

Searching for historical precedent that led to this crisis on the border.

When it comes to abortion, the Pope is Catholic.

With the point of a finger, we have our answer.

Nope.

The mountebanks are at it again.

Cleaning up a misleading claim about two bills signed into law.

One picture leads to a plethora of misleading claims.

Clickbait headline overblows reality. Water still wet.

'Reportedly' is a key word here.

Computer programs can be such prudes.

No. It's a cruel conspiracy that shamelessly, and repeatedly, uses the death of an actual person.

Fake News. Here’s “What Happened.”

Not at all.

There is no proof of a quid pro quo with a government wary of "irritating the top American officials."

Indeed he did.

The Secret Service trumps the NRA's Second Amendment predilection.

The report is from last year.

A bombshell of a fact check.

A senseless headline shrouds some legitimate news.

Yes. Twenty-two people have already been affected.

Yes, and the number is growing.

Let's roll the tape.

Yes, actually: A sensational headline, but accurate info.

A headline from the blogsite "David Harris Jr." claimed that "David Hogg [was] mocked for giving Nazi/Socialist salute to end march."

What better time to cover satirical news than in the immediate wake of April Fool's day?

During a televised hearing before the Homeland Security Committee last week on natural disasters in 2017, Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama made a joke that thousands of people online perceived as a racist jab.

On his website, John Laurits (a self-identified communist based in Oregon) claimed that there is “no evidence” that Russia was involved in the poisoning of former Russian spy and double agent, Sergei Skripal.

Nowadays the term “fake news” is usually associated with politics, but it’s worth remembering that no field is immune to the spread of misinformation. And pop-science journalism is at least as prone to distortion as political coverage, especially when simplistic headlines are exaggerated on social…

In the “fake news” business nothing spreads misinformation quite as well as a ridiculous headline. They’re perfect for ginning up inquisitive clicks with the almost-money-back guarantee that the reader won’t get past the lede.

TWS Fact check is aware that there are few things less funny than explaining a joke, but fact checking one comes close.

The website POTUS WDC posted a false story with the bogus headline, “Catholic Archbishop Says Pedophilia Is ‘Spiritual Encounter With God.’”

“Seattle Police Begin Taking Citizens Guns Away, No Warrants or Charges,” a headline from the website Neon Nettle claimed early Wednesday. Multiple blog sites reported the same.

An article published by CNS News alleged that the Bernie Sanders campaign was fined $14,500 by the Federal Election Commission for “accepting illegal in-kind contributions during [the] 2016 campaign.” Facebook users questioned the article and flagged it for third-party fact checkers.

“Michelle Obama Just Received LIFE-SHATTERING News From The Doctor,” or so the website “nyfoxnews.co” (a domain extension widely used in Columbia) would have you believe.

After the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, CNN hosted a town hall discussion on Wednesday, February 21, which included politicians, an NRA representative, and several students of the school who posed questions to panel members.

Sometimes hoaxes work as a series, with bits of information being added one at a time and developed into a storyline. Fake news broke last summer that a Muslim judge had legalized two pieces of Sharia in Michigan. That was debunked at the time, with fact checkers pointing out that the “news” was…

The website “I Love My Freedom” published an article claiming that “millions RUSH to join the NRA after anti-gun lectures by the liberal media.”

Facebook users questioned the legitimacy of a story posted Monday by Infowars and Zero Hedge, which claimed 300 people had signed up for “gun training” after an Ohio sheriff offered free classes for 50 teachers.

“Russia Only Bought Facebook Ads After Trump Won The Election,” a headline from Milo Yiannopoulos’ site Dangerous.com claimed on Monday.

Claims of “crisis actors” in the wake of the deadly shooting in Florida sounded off across the internet’s conspiratorial corners, garnering attention on sites such as Gateway Pundit and True Pundit.

Claims of “crisis actors” in the wake of the deadly shooting in Florida sounded off across the internet’s conspiratorial corners, garnering attention on sites such as Gateway Pundit and True Pundit.

On Wednesday CNN anchor Chris Cuomo retweeted a story from the Tab, which claimed the author (a 20 year-old with an expired ID) was able to purchase an AR-15 in five minutes.

“The U.S. district attorney has announced that he will be pursuing charges of treason against the former President Barack Obama,” a false headline from Averific ran over the weekend.

Internet hoaxes, like bad stand-up comedy or chain restaurant themes, often struggle with originality. That’s why you’ll see old stories re-emerge year after year.

As noted in our most recent fact check, false information is easily spread in times of chaos and confusion. Early reports are often incorrect or incomplete and information surrounding the horrific school shooting in Florida on Wednesday is no exception.

In the wake of the tragic school shooting yesterday in Parkland, Florida fake photos began to surface, spreading misinformation and false accusations surrounding the event.

Facebook users marked an article published last month by Deep State Nation as potentially containing false information.

Voter fraud is a favorite topic for hoax websites, especially when it comes to the 2016 election.

A plane that took off from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport on Sunday crashed, killing all 71 people onboard.

An older online myth resurfaced this week, claiming that Malboro was set to release marijuana cigarettes in four states.

The controversial FISA memo, a GOP-drafted documents alleging surveillance abuses against the Trump campaign, generated an expansive array of responses from political commentators and pundits when it was released last week. After discussing the FISA memo, Fox News’s Judge Jeanine Pirro told viewers…

The release of additional texts between FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page has some outlets reporting that the messages implicate President Obama for interfering in the bureau’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s email.

If ever a snare were set for a conspiracy theorist, it would most certainly be the "Steele dossier" released for public consumption by BuzzFeed in January of last year, alleging collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. It has the perfect ingredients for a conspiracy: opposition…

In an attempt to defend the President Trump’s “big, beautiful wall” Patriotic Express accused Joe Kennedy of the gravest of sins: hypocrisy.

The Word of God Online has some fake news it would like to share.

Amid the flurry of rumors stemming from Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury, U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley has faced accusations that she had an affair with Donald Trump, accusations which she has denied.

Facebook users have flagged a recent article announcing new legislation that “makes it legal for atheist doctors and nurses to refuse care to religious patients.”

The recent federal government shutdown (bringing with it colorful talking sticks, fake news, and finger-pointing festivities) that started when the parties couldn’t agree on how to include DACA protections as part of a continuing resolution, has given new life to the conversation surrounding…

“Breaking: Trump’s ENTIRE wall just got paid for by ONE person & you won’t believe who!”

Caricature-extraordinaire Alex Jones claimed on Tuesday to have in his possession THE secret FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) memo that congressional Republicans are calling to be declassified so as to demonstrate surveillance abuses.

A “best practice” among those who spread false information is sloshing it around with the tiniest bit of truth. Some, however, ignore this and go straight to peddling absolute falsehoods.

“Republicans Just Killed The Bill To Make Sure Troops Get Paid During Shutdown,” or so ran a headline from Addicting Info, flagged as potential fake news by Facebook users.

After Oprah Winfrey’s explosive Golden Globes speech, the internet has been abuzz with Oprah-related chatter, attracting fake news and false information.

Fake news has recently sprung up regarding President Donald Trump’s alleged use of the term “shithole,” claiming that Senator Dick Durbin has “revealed why he lied about Trump saying” the word.

An article published on December 6, 2017, claimed that Donald Trump’s administration had cut a Veterans Affairs program for homeless veterans while the number of homeless veterans increased.

A conspiracy theory has regained popularity and circulation on Facebook this week regarding Klaus Eberwein’s suicide and alleged connection to the Clintons.

An article gaining traction and trust on certain social media platforms reported that an individual lost their job “for frowning during [a] workplace discussion about Trump.”

Did the Supreme Court uphold a “1952 Law Outlawing Islam in Government”?

On Friday, Fox News claimed that one of Roy Moore’s accusers forged some of a yearbook inscription which had previously been used to substantiate Moore’s connection with the alleged victim.

After President Donald Trump’s announced Tuesday that he was reducing the land size of two national monuments, Patagonia, the outdoor clothing and gear store, replaced its homepage with a statement claiming that Trump had illegally stolen that land.

Following reports that the U.S. voted in opposition to a U.N. resolution “combating Nazism and … practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,” pundits and activists have cited the decision as demonstrative of the…

Correction, Nov. 17, 3:27 p.m.: Fact Check originally wrote that state law prohibited Neal from owning or making a gun. In fact, he was prohibited under the Federal Gun Act. The piece has been updated accordingly.

On Thursday, Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) tweeted that Congress had passed a bill that would provide U.S. troops with the biggest pay increase in eight years.

Four recent judicial nominees from President Donald Trump have received “not qualified” ratings from the American Bar Association, most notably Brett Talley, a 36-year-old lawyer who has never tried a case. In response a post on MSNBC’s website claimed that neither Barack Obama nor Bill Clinton…

After reports came out that President Donald Trump did not take questions during a press conference in China, several pundits, journalists, and former Obama administration officials criticized this decision.

Update, 11/6/17, 5:56 p.m.: Fact Check originally wrote that "at this time it is still unclear if Kelley’s conviction fell under the 1996 domestic abuse amendment to the Federal Gun Act of 1968."

In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in Texas information was released that the shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley, received a bad conduct discharge from the U.S. Air Force that involved assault against his then-spouse and their child.

After a startling revelation from former Democratic National Committee interim chair Donna Brazile that the DNC had engineered the party’s primary election system in favor of then-candidate Hillary Clinton, President Donald Trump suggested that the primary was illegally stolen from Bernie Sanders.

The morning after a deadly terrorist attack in New York City, President Donald Trump tweeted “The terrorist came into our country through what is called the ‘Diversity Visa Lottery Program,’ a Chuck Schumer beauty. I want merit based.”

On her Sunday show, MSNBC host Joy Reid claimed that Hillary Clinton did not sit on the panel that approved the Uranium One deal.

A mailer sent out by the Democrat party of Virginia depicts Republican candidate Ed Gillespie alongside President Donald Trump with the torch-bearing white supremacists from the rally in Charlottesville pictured below them.

A reader alerts TWS Fact Check to a "news" story that the Supreme Court has banned public schools from teaching about Islam. The post, which has been making the rounds on Facebook for several weeks, claims that Justice Neil Gorsuch issued the deciding opinion in an April 10 ruling to restrict…

Hillary Clinton spread around the blame in a candid interview with Recode last Wednesday. She called her private email server a "nothingburger" and the Times endorsement of her candidacy a hypocritical reversal—they reduced up the scandal to "a matter for the help desk," after having "covered it…

Fact Check: Did Obama Director of Intelligence James Clapper Deny Collusion Between Trump and Russia?

President Trump's budget request for defense spending is at once too much and not enough.

President Trump took to Twitter Tuesday morning to amplify comments he made during the European leg of his overseas trip. He controversially, and indelicately, invoked one of his key issues — trade policies that put America first, or fail to — in a meeting of E.U. leaders last Thursday, during…

National Security Agency analysts under the Obama administration improperly searched Americans' information, but the searches were conducted largely out of error, according to a review of publicly available intelligence documents reported on by Circa last week.

A reader sent to TWS Fact Check this Memorial Day weekend an internet meme claiming that of the more than 58,000 fallen service members commemorated on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, only eight are women. The engraved wall of names cuts into the topography of Washington, D.C.'s monumental core…

The morning after the Washington Post and the Intercept linked to a leaked transcript of President Trump's late April phone call with Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, reports surfaced alleging that Trump had given Duterte sensitive intel about American nuclear submarines located near North…

Thursday on Facebook, cartoonist Berkeley Breathed (of Bloom County fame) posted a letter purportedly from President Donald Trump's New York attorney, Marc E. Kasowitz, taking Breathed to task for disseminating "flagrantly altered photos [of the president] wearing apparel featuring your artwork."…

Reports spread over the weekend that the Svalbard Global Seed Vault had "flooded," succumbing to the same force it was designed to protect the world's food supply from: global warming.

Ten months after his death, reports continue to circulate concerning the murder of Seth Rich, a 27-year-old data analyst for the Democratic National Committee. Seth Conrad Rich died hours after what police investigators (who are still working on the case) have long said was likely an attempted…