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.
Conservative personalities are sharing a brief video clip showing Joe Biden speaking at an event in September to suggest the Democratic presidential nominee was making a racially insensitive remark. But it misleadingly omits any context for the quote.
A popular Facebook post asks why an order by President Donald Trump “PROTECTING PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS got almost zero coverage,” and suggests it’s wrong to say he is “trying to eliminate that protection.” Trump is trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which put such protections into place, and his recent executive order, on its own, doesn’t legally guarantee them.
The U.S. military may assist in the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available, but it will not forcibly administer vaccines, as a viral article shared on social media falsely suggests. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has said mandatory vaccination “would be unenforceable and not appropriate.”
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.