Media Matters Archives

A headline said Missippi's literacy program shows improvement and claimed to be from the Associated Press in Mississippi.

Did AP Use the Spelling ‘Missippi’ in a Headline About Literacy? To learn more, we traveled back to the year 2005.

Research In Progress

Did a 1970s Cartoon Ridicule Anti-Solar Power Rhetoric? "Still too accurate!" said one internet user of the satirical cartoon, which regained prominence online...

True

CNN correspondent Brian Stelter deleted a tweet that said we are not a few steps from The Handmaid's Tale.

‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Tweet Deleted from CNN Host Brian Stelter’s Twitter Account The 2018 tweet was deleted within hours of when a 2021 Texas law went into...

True

Did Tucker Carlson Say This About Nebraska Man’s Death to Stoke COVID Vaccine Fears? The claim appeared to stem from former U.S. Democratic Sen. Al Franken, who hasn't yet...

False

Jim Cantore on The Weather Channel was not photo bombed or caught faking it by a cartwheel.

No, Jim Cantore Was Not Caught ‘Faking It’ in Ida’s Winds by Man Doing Cartwheel "This is why we don't trust the news," one video commenter posted.

False

Did Don Trump Jr. Say Taliban Spokesman Not ‘Wrong’ About Facebook Censorship? The spokesman faced a question about freedom of speech in Afghanistan.

Correct Attribution

Fake ‘Afghan News’ Accounts Spread Racist Misinformation About ‘Missing Reporter’ Peddlers of misinformation attempted to sow confusion in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of...

False

Is This Journalism Before and After Taliban Takeover? The threat to female journalists in the region is undoubtedly real.

Mixture

No, CNN Didn’t Praise Taliban for ‘Responsibly Wearing Masks’ A fake CNN graphic ripped from a satire website went viral without attribution or disclaimers.

Originated as Satire

Did Jeffrey Toobin Comment on Cuomo Scandal? A case of mistaken identity led to some criticism of CNN.

False

A baseless conspiracy theory is circulating online alleging that Jay Leno lost the gig because of his comments about Barack Obama.

Did Obama Officials Pressure NBC to Replace Jay Leno? A baseless conspiracy theory is circulating online alleging that Leno lost the gig because of...

Yes, USA Today Really Did Publish This Suggestive Heat Wave Graphic To some, it may just be the greatest newspaper graphic ever made.

True