FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on the social media network. We provide several resources for readers: a guide on how to flag suspicious stories on Facebook and a list of websites that have carried false or satirical articles, as well as a video and story on how to spot false stories.
Viral Facebook posts misleadingly claim that Florida, Georgia, Idaho, South Dakota and Tennessee have become “mask free.” None has a statewide mask mandate — but individual cities and counties in each of those states do have orders requiring face coverings to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
A photo of Chris Wallace circulating on social media purports to show the Fox News anchor with Jeffrey Epstein. He was actually pictured with George Clooney.
An image spreading on social media purports to show a Trump campaign email asking supporters to “please DONATE to help him recover from” COVID-19. It is not from the campaign, and appears to have been created as a joke.
Facebook posts baselessly accuse former Vice President Joe Biden of wearing a wire during the first presidential debate. The low-quality videos and photos being cited don’t support that claim.
Unsubstantiated posts spreading on Facebook and Twitter claim former Vice President Joe Biden “got tonight’s debate questions in advance” and that he will be wearing an earpiece. There is no evidence for either assertion.
Social media accounts that boost conspiracy theories make a baseless claim that the Clintons were involved in a recent incident at the home of Brad Parscale, President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager. The police report describes a domestic dispute during which Parscale threatened suicide.
Officials in Sonoma County, California, said photos circulating on social media show “old empty envelopes from the November 2018 election” being recycled — not “1,000+ mail-in ballots found in a dumpster,” as social media posts falsely claim.
A Facebook user claims the cost of her insulin dropped 75% thanks to “Trumps Prescription Bill.” There has been no such legislation passed, and actions by the Trump administration aimed at lowering prescription drug costs have yet to take effect.
A social media post claims that Social Security checks have not been sent by mail “since 2013 because it’s not secure.” The Social Security Administration required electronic payment transfers in compliance with a 1996 federal law — not due to security concerns. Even so, about 850,000 checks are still mailed each month.
A clip from a television interview with former Vice President Joe Biden is circulating online with the false claim that he is reading from a teleprompter. Actually, Biden was looking at a screen showing a viewer’s question before he looks at the interviewer in the room with him.