Fact Checks Archive

This picture of Barack and Michelle Obama was doctored to give Michelle male features and pushed the debunked conspiracy theory that her name is Michael.

Doctored Christmas Photo of Michelle Obama Circulates Online A message to those users who shared this misleading picture with friends on Facebook: Reverse...

False

Are women not signing up for conservative dating app The Right Stuff?

Are There No Women Signing Up for Conservative Dating App? Love transcends all ... except politics, apparently.

Unproven

A photograph shows three windows holding back floodwaters from Hurricane Ian, according to Reddit.

Is This Photo of Windows Holding Back Hurricane Ian Floodwaters Real? A popular tweet with more than 300,000 likes showed a picture of three windows appearing...

True

Did Terrorists Purchase Large Quantities of Halloween Candy in 2001? In the wake of 9/11, rumors spread that large quantities of candy were purchased just...

False

Halloween Gang Initiation Were gang initiates really planning to kill 30 or more women on Halloween 2008?

False

Did Psychic Predict Campus Halloween Murders? This Halloween urban legend dates back to the late 1970s.

False

‘Clown Purge’ on Halloween? The social media clown panic has inevitably merged with "purge" rumors, just in time for...

False

Even the most unsuperstitious and least tradition-bound will stoop to observing the custom of having the groom carry his bride over the threshold after their wedding.

Crossing the Threshold: What’s the Wedding Custom’s Origin? The tradition in which one partner carries the other over a doorway traces back to...

Milkman delivering milk after aerial bombing in London during World War II

Is This an Actual Pic of London Milkman Delivering Milk After WWII Bombing? "Keep calm and carry on" was the motto of the day.

False

Was Toyota City in Japan Named After the Car Manufacturer? The company has had an outsized influence on this part of Japan.

True

Yes, Kate Moss Said This About Being Skinny Don't try this at home.

Correct Attribution

Was the 666th Halloween Celebrated in October 2015? A rumor raised an interesting question: When did we begin celebrating Halloween, anyway?

False