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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Online Videos Share Fabricated Story About FEMA and Marines on Maui

Online Videos Share Fabricated Story About FEMA and Marines on Maui

The Federal Emergency Management Agency operates a Disaster Recovery Center on Maui and has approved $7 million in assistance to thousands of wildfire survivors. Online videos, however, are sharing a fabricated tale about FEMA’s operations, including a “shootout” with U.S. Marines. The bogus story originated on a satirical website.

Posts Misrepresent Military’s Response to Maui Wildfires

Posts Misrepresent Military’s Response to Maui Wildfires

The White House declared the site of the Maui wildfires a disaster area, and the Department of Defense has provided more than 400 troops, air support and other resources in firefighting and recovery efforts. Yet posts on Instagram misrepresent the federal response and one falsely claimed “the military is standing down.”

Post Distorts Florida School Policy on ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Post Distorts Florida School Policy on ‘Romeo and Juliet’

A Florida school district is allowing students to read only excerpts of “Romeo and Juliet” in class — not passages with sexual content. But a Facebook post incorrectly suggests all Florida high schools are removing the “full text” of the play from classrooms. The state’s education commissioner included the play on a recommended reading list for grades nine to 12.

Video Misrepresents Lasting Effects of Nuclear Bombs Dropped on Japan During World War II

Video Misrepresents Lasting Effects of Nuclear Bombs Dropped on Japan During World War II

The United States dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, killing hundreds of thousands of people to force Japan’s surrender in World War II. A video on social media falsely claims the cities “were never nuked,” reasoning that nuclear bombs would have made those cities “uninhabitable for thousands of years.”

Romney Not Switching Parties, Contrary to Online Claim

Romney Not Switching Parties, Contrary to Online Claim

Sen. Mitt Romney has sometimes been critical of fellow Republicans and veered from the party line. But an Instagram post falsely claims Romney “threatens to leave the Republican Party and Join Democrats.” A Romney spokesperson said there is “zero truth” to the claim, and the senator has filed for reelection in 2024 as a Republican.

Post Retreads False Claim About Biden’s Funding for Historically Black Colleges

Post Retreads False Claim About Biden’s Funding for Historically Black Colleges

The Biden administration has awarded billions in funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including more than $2.7 billion provided in the American Rescue Plan. Yet a social media post revives an old, false claim that Biden revoked $250 million that then-President Donald Trump “pledged to give historical black colleges for the next 10 years.”

Posts Spread False Claim About Luke Bryan After CMT Pulls Jason Aldean Video

Posts Spread False Claim About Luke Bryan After CMT Pulls Jason Aldean Video

A video by country singer Jason Aldean was pulled by Country Music Television after critics called it offensive and racist. Some Aldean fans have responded by calling for the “Bud Light treatment” of CMT and falsely claiming that, in solidarity, singer Luke Bryan removed his own videos from the channel. The bogus claim about Bryan originated on a satirical website.

Social Media Posts Misrepresent Kamala Harris Error

Social Media Posts Misrepresent Kamala Harris Error

While announcing an investment in clean energy programs, Vice President Kamala Harris mistakenly said “reduce population” when she meant “reduce pollution.” Online posts shared a video of the gaffe and misleadingly claimed “her goal is to reduce population to fight climate change.” The transcript of her remarks shows the mistake and corrects it.

False Claim About Cause of Autism Highlighted on Pennsylvania Senate Panel

False Claim About Cause of Autism Highlighted on Pennsylvania Senate Panel

Studies have found the rate of autism is the same in vaccinated and unvaccinated children. But the false claim that vaccines are associated with the disorder persists. A prominent spreader of COVID-19 misinformation wrongly told legislators in Pennsylvania that autism is virtually nonexistent among the unvaccinated, citing the Amish population.