Media Matters Archives

Did NPR Publish Article Describing Capitol Riot Before It Happened? The original headline went through at least two updates as the story developed.

False

Did Dave Ramsey Write This ‘Wake Up America’ Op-Ed? A months-old opinion piece was recirculated on social media in January 2021, this time with...

Misattributed

Was This ‘Biden Child Porn’ Story ‘Front Page News’ in Australia? Do you consider a story in a tabloid "front page news"?

False

Was a Pornhub Logo Accidentally Displayed on CNN? This video has racked up more than 7 million views.

False

Did Anderson Cooper Liken Trump to an ‘Obese Turtle’? And do turtles make accusations about election malfeasance?

Correct Attribution

Did a Church Close Its Food Bank ‘Because It Attracts Poor People’? One would think poor people are most at risk around food insecurity.

True

Was The New Yorker’s Jeffrey Toobin Suspended After Exposing Himself on a Zoom Call? The incident was witnessed by co-workers preparing for election night coverage.

True

Did 3 States Pull CNN’s Broadcasting License? A routine review of content labeled satire.

Labeled Satire

Did an MSNBC Producer Quit Because the Network Is a ‘Cancer,’ Stoking ‘National Division’? Former MSNBC producer Ariana Pekary expressed discomfort with the commercial news model.

Mixture

Was Op-Ed by Hitler Published by New York Times in 1941? The publication of the dictator's piece on propaganda wasn't necessarily a tacit endorsement of it.

Mixture

Did MSNBC Use ‘World War Z’ Footage in News Coverage? “I dramatically underestimated Twitter,” the video’s creator said after it went viral.

False

Did CBS News Use a 2016 Ukraine Photo in COVID-19 Coverage? Unverified, random tweets are not regarded as reliable sources by real journalists.

False