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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Viral Post Misrepresents Facts in Rittenhouse Trial

Viral Post Misrepresents Facts in Rittenhouse Trial

Kyle Rittenhouse said that he went to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to defend a car dealership during protests against police brutality in August 2020. He was not there to defend his grandparents’ gas station, as a viral social media post falsely claims. He was not related to the family that owns the car dealership.

White House and HHS Employees Aren’t ‘Exempt’ from Vaccine Mandate

White House and HHS Employees Aren’t ‘Exempt’ from Vaccine Mandate

While some specifics of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates haven’t been determined, misleading claims about who will be “exempt” have circulated online. Employees at the White House and in agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services are subject to Biden’s executive order requiring federal employees to be vaccinated.

Experts: No Link Between COVID-19 Vaccines and Erectile Dysfunction

Experts: No Link Between COVID-19 Vaccines and Erectile Dysfunction

Public health officials around the world have explained that erectile dysfunction is not a side effect of COVID-19 vaccines, but a viral tweet from rapper Nicki Minaj has spread the unfounded claim that it is. There is no evidence to support that claim.

Social Media Posts Draw Unsupported Conclusion on Afghan Helicopter Video

Social Media Posts Draw Unsupported Conclusion on Afghan Helicopter Video

Afghan journalists report that a video of a person suspended from a helicopter shows an operation in which the person was trying to change a flag. But critics of President Joe Biden have used the footage to claim the Taliban used U.S. equipment for a “hanging.” One person who shared the claim, Sen. Ted Cruz, later deleted his tweet, saying it “may be inaccurate.”

Biden Issued Proclamation to Fly Flags at Half-Staff

Biden Issued Proclamation to Fly Flags at Half-Staff

President Joe Biden issued a proclamation honoring those who died in the attack at the Kabul airport Aug. 26 and calling for flags to be flown at half-staff. But a meme has been circulating on Facebook with the false claim that no such order had been issued.

Pfizer CEO Got the COVID-19 Vaccine

Pfizer CEO Got the COVID-19 Vaccine

The CEO of Pfizer posted a photo of himself getting the second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine on March 10. But an Aug. 5 tweet from Newsmax reporter Emerald Robinson misleadingly suggested he isn’t vaccinated. She updated the tweet hours later, acknowledging the CEO’s post — but after her claim had spread, uncorrected, on other social media.

Memes Misidentify D.C. Police Officer as Jan. 6 Protester

Memes Misidentify D.C. Police Officer as Jan. 6 Protester

Using side-by-side photos of two men who bear some resemblance to each other, social media posts are spreading the false claim that a Washington, D.C., police officer who responded to the Capitol breach on Jan. 6 was really part of the rioting crowd. The photos actually show two different people.

Meme Spreads Falsehood About Vaccine Transfer Through Eating Meat

Meme Spreads Falsehood About Vaccine Transfer Through Eating Meat

Livestock and poultry are not being vaccinated against COVID-19. But a meme is spreading the falsehood that those who eat meat from vaccinated animals will get “VAXXED” by consuming the meat. That simply isn’t possible, according to immunologists.