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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Pluto Not Reclassified as a Planet

Pluto Not Reclassified as a Planet

Q: Has the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a “major planet”? 

A: No. That claim was originally published years ago as an April Fool’s joke.

Parton Me? Dolly Didn’t Praise Trump

Parton Me? Dolly Didn’t Praise Trump

Q: Did Dolly Parton say, “Trump in one year is already better than 16 years of Bush, Obama put together?”

A: No. A public relations consultant said that on a Breitbart radio show.

Teaching About Islam Hasn’t Been Banned

Teaching About Islam Hasn’t Been Banned

Q: Did the U.S. Supreme Court bar public schools from teaching about Islam?

A: No. That rumor originates from a website that describes itself as satirical.

No Evidence of Demi Moore Quote

No Evidence of Demi Moore Quote

Q: Did Demi Moore say, “I do not want Trump supporters for fans”?

A: No. Questionable websites have published the quote with no evidence to support it.

Soros Didn’t Pay for Shutdown Votes

Soros Didn’t Pay for Shutdown Votes

Q: Did George Soros pay three Democratic U.S. senators to vote for a government shutdown?

A: No. The “senators” named in a fictional story are not real.

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.