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.
Q: Were “412 Michigan Muslims arrested in fed’s ‘largest bust in U.S. history’”?
A: No. Only about 30 of those arrests were made in Michigan, and there is no evidence all of the individuals arrested were Muslim.
Q: Did Reddit postings show the shooter in Jacksonville, Florida, was part of the “anti-Trump resistance”?
A: No. The Reddit account in question did not belong to the shooter, David Katz, despite what viral stories said.
Q: Was Joe Arpaio, the former Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff, appointed to finish John McCain’s term in the Senate?
A: No. That claim is made up — the Arizona governor has not yet named a replacement.
Q: Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tied to George Soros?
A: Not directly. Her campaign gained momentum from an interview she gave on an internet show that is supported, in part, by a nonprofit that received a grant from an organization that received funding from a Soros foundation.
Q: Did the FBI wait until after the 2016 election to review the Hillary Clinton emails found on Anthony Weiner’s laptop?
A: No. A viral story misinterprets an FBI document and ignores widely reported facts.
Q: Did Rep. Nancy Pelosi tell Democrats to lie to get elected?
A: No. She said Democratic candidates who oppose her becoming House speaker again should “do whatever you have to do,” as long as they win.
Q: Did police officers “take a knee” and then “walk out on” the Washington Redskins?
A: No. That made-up story was first posted by a self-described satirical website last year.
Q: Were there “major signs of voter fraud” in Ohio’s congressional special election?
A: No. The Ohio Secretary of State’s office says there have been no reports of voter fraud.
Q: Did the Obama administration separate “72,410 Children From Their Families in 2013”?
A: That’s the number of immigrants removed that year who had U.S.-born children. But viral stories wrongly conflate removals with President Trump’s zero tolerance policy.
Q: Does a viral claim accusing Black Lives Matter activists of mugging a woman provide any evidence?
A: No, it doesn’t. The claim takes an actual story about a 2016 mugging and adds that unsupported accusation.