Facebook Twitter Tumblr Close Skip to main content
A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Out With the ‘Old Dixie’

Out With the ‘Old Dixie’

Q: Did President Donald Trump order the removal of Barack Obama’s name from a Florida highway?

A: No. That rumor comes from a false headline attached to a 2015 opinion piece critical of the name change.

No Shutdown Shakedown

No Shutdown Shakedown

Q: Did Sen. Chuck Schumer take $500,000 in donations from immigrant advocacy groups before the government shutdown?

A: No. That rumor originated on a satirical website. 

Fake Denzel Washington Story

Fake Denzel Washington Story

Q: Did Denzel Washington call Barack Obama the “criminal-in-chief”?

A: No. The actor has been a steady supporter of Obama and of other Democrats.  

Oprah’s 2013 Quote on Racism, in Context

Oprah’s 2013 Quote on Racism, in Context

Q: Did Oprah Winfrey say, “White People Just Have To Die.”

A: No. In 2013, she said that “older people, who were born, and bred, and marinated” in racism “have to die” before racism can be solved.

No Democratic Prostitute Ring in N.J.

No Democratic Prostitute Ring in N.J.

Q: Were three Democratic state senators arrested in New Jersey for running a prostitution ring?

A: No. The senators named in the story don’t even exist.

Bogus Claim on Mosque Raid

Bogus Claim on Mosque Raid

Q: Were 11 would-be terrorists arrested in a late-night raid at a mosque?

A: No. The FBI confirmed that there has been no such raid.

Freeman Didn’t Say ‘Lock Her Up’

Freeman Didn’t Say ‘Lock Her Up’

Q: Did actor Morgan Freeman say that Hillary Clinton should be jailed?

A: No. He has donated to Democrats and endorsed Clinton for president in 2016.

Bogus Black Lives Matter Stories Won’t Die

Bogus Black Lives Matter Stories Won’t Die

Q: Were a dozen or more women found dead in a freezer with “Black Lives Matter” carved in them?

A: No. Versions of that false story have been circulating online for almost two years.

No Cash, No Corpses for Made-up Mayor

No Cash, No Corpses for Made-up Mayor

Q: Did a Democratic mayor in Missouri have a storage locker holding cash and dead bodies?

A: No. The story is entirely made-up — the town it names doesn’t even exist.

Muslims Aren’t Banned From Government

Muslims Aren’t Banned From Government

Q: Did the U.S. Supreme Court uphold a law banning Muslims from serving in government?

A: No. There is no such law. Two Muslims currently serve in the U.S. Congress.