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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Meme Distorts Gillibrand’s Immigration Idea

Meme Distorts Gillibrand’s Immigration Idea

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has not proposed giving Social Security benefits to “illegal aliens,” as a popular meme claims. She wants to overhaul the immigration system to give individuals in the U.S. illegally a way to become citizens and collect benefits after paying into Social Security.

Solitaire Image is Old, Out of Context

Solitaire Image is Old, Out of Context

An image of elected officials playing a computer card game has gone viral on social media. But the photo is from 2009, and it shows state lawmakers in Connecticut, not members of Congress.

Meme Inflates School Shooting Deaths

Meme Inflates School Shooting Deaths

A meme circulating online claims that 7,182 students have been “killed in U.S. schools” since 2012, but that number is inflated. It likely refers to all firearm fatalities involving children, including suicides and shootings off campus.

Fake Tweet Puts Words in Trump’s Mouth

Fake Tweet Puts Words in Trump’s Mouth

A fake tweet circulating online purports to show a message from President Donald Trump threatening to deport Rep. Ilhan Omar for comments she made referring to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Sign of the Times: Phony Photo Politicizes School

Sign of the Times: Phony Photo Politicizes School

A doctored photo circulating on Facebook falsely claims that a California middle school congratulated President Donald Trump “on reaching his 10,000th lie.” The image came from an online generator that lets users enter their own text.

Bogus Claim About Border Rape Revived

Bogus Claim About Border Rape Revived

An unsubstantiated claim from last fall about sexual violence at the southern border has been repackaged in a Facebook meme. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has no record of the alleged incident, and the website that first reported it has retracted the story.

Facebook Users Peddle False Trump Story

Facebook Users Peddle False Trump Story

A photo of a purported news story from 2015 shared on social media attributes incendiary remarks about Africans to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. There’s no evidence he made those comments.

Measles Misinformation Gets an Immigration Twist

Measles Misinformation Gets an Immigration Twist

A Facebook meme incorrectly blames the measles outbreak in the U.S. on immigrants from South America. The virus, however, was eliminated there in 2016. The recent uptick in measles cases is due to travelers returning from countries with outbreaks.

Twisting Stephen Miller’s Words

Twisting Stephen Miller’s Words

A meme posted on a popular progressive Facebook page leaves out several words and important context in a quote from White House adviser Stephen Miller.

Meme Gets an ‘F’ on College Claims

Meme Gets an ‘F’ on College Claims

A popular Facebook post gives readers a false impression about the recent college admissions scandal and the cost of college for immigrants in the United States illegally.