Contrary to QAnon-fueled claims that a California bill would legalize pedophilia, the bill would actually standardize the rules about who is required to be on the state’s sex offender registry.
California Bill Doesn’t Make Pedophilia ‘Legal’
Issues: Memes
Social Media Posts Use Graphic, Unrelated Photos to Smear BLM Protesters
Posts circulating on social media this summer falsely claimed that Black Lives Matter activists were responsible for the beating of five elderly white people shown in the posts’ photos. But the pictures have been online for at least five years — and most early uses identify the photos as originating in South Africa.
Meme Recycles Conspiracy Theory on California Wildfires
A baseless conspiracy theory on Facebook suggests that the California wildfires were started by a “powerful laser.” The meme spreading the theory uses the same photos that circulated in 2018 to advance a similar claim.
False Claims on Corporate Donations to Black Lives Matter
Posts on social media repeat an error reported by Lou Dobbs on Fox Business in July, claiming that major corporations were donating large sums of money to Black Lives Matter. The companies have pledged support for racial equality initiatives, but haven’t specified Black Lives Matter as a beneficiary.
Harris Hasn’t Called Biden a ‘Racist’ or a ‘Rapist’
Contrary to claims in viral internet posts, Sen. Kamala Harris did not call former Vice President Joe Biden a “racist” or a “rapist.” Rather, she has been critical of Biden’s position on busing to integrate schools and comments he made about segregationist senators, and she has said that she believed women who accused Biden of making them feel uncomfortable.
Face Masks Don’t Cause Legionnaires’ Disease
A viral social media post is spreading the falsehood that wearing a face mask to slow the spread of COVID-19 could cause Legionnaires’ disease. But Legionnaires’ disease is caused by bacteria that festers mostly in warm, standing water, not in human saliva.
False Claims Follow Old Portland Mugshots
Old mugshots circulating on social media falsely suggest that they show 13 teachers who were recently arrested during the protests in Portland, Oregon. The photos are actually from 2017, and the posts provide no evidence that any of them are teachers.
COVID-19 Testing Truck Logo Depicts an Aardvark, Not Death Deity
A popular post on social media pages for conspiracy theorists claims that a mobile COVID-19 testing station bears a logo that depicts an ancient deity of death. It actually shows an aardvark, which is the name of the company that designs and manufactures the trucks.
Post Falsely Attributes Racist Remarks to Fashion Designer
A viral image on Facebook falsely attributes racist comments to the fashion designer Michael Kors. The quotes were fabricated by a now-defunct satirical website in 2015, but have been circulating as if true ever since.
Viral Post Falsely Attributes ‘Shadow Government’ Claim to Krauthammer
A Christian blogger writing for The Daily Jot accused former President Barack Obama in 2017 of running a “shadow government.” The blog post has been recirculating lately on social media, but it is falsely attributed to the late Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Charles Krauthammer.