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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Weinstein Wasn’t a Medal of Freedom Recipient

Weinstein Wasn’t a Medal of Freedom Recipient

A doctored image spread on Facebook erroneously shows former President Barack Obama giving Harvey Weinstein the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The actual photo showed Obama bestowing the honor upon former Vice President Joe Biden.

Biden’s Factual Distortions

Biden’s Factual Distortions

Former Vice President Joe Biden distorted the facts in two interviews in the wake of the Nevada caucuses, claiming Sen. Bernie Sanders “was opposed to Obamacare” (Sanders voted for it) and that Biden never labeled South Carolina as his campaign’s “firewall” (he did).

Viral Meme Misrepresents Sanders’ Stance During Iran Hostage Crisis

Viral Meme Misrepresents Sanders’ Stance During Iran Hostage Crisis

A viral meme falsely claims Sen. Bernie Sanders “supported” Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis and “accused” the hostages of “being CIA spies.” Sanders was affiliated with a political party that criticized U.S. policy on Iran, but there’s no evidence he expressed those beliefs.

Survey Says: Trump Misleads on Debate Performances

Survey Says: Trump Misleads on Debate Performances

Railing against a Fox News guest who said Donald Trump won the presidency despite poor debate performances, Trump held up a series of opt-in online surveys to misleadingly claim that “polls” showed he “won every single debate.” Scientific polls showed otherwise.

Sanders Didn’t Call for 52% Tax on $29,000 Incomes

Sanders Didn’t Call for 52% Tax on $29,000 Incomes

A viral post claims, falsely, that Sen. Bernie Sanders at a recent debate called for a tax rate of 52% on incomes of $29,000 or more to pay for his Medicare for All plan. He didn’t. That figure was floated as a potential marginal tax rate for income above $10 million.

Family Separation Spin in Nevada

Family Separation Spin in Nevada

A misleading Spanish-language TV ad from a group backing President Trump claims that then-President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden “separated families and put children in cages” while it shows images of minors who were temporarily detained after crossing the southern border on their own — without a parent or guardian.

Misinformation Outlasts Virginia Gun Bill

Misinformation Outlasts Virginia Gun Bill

A Virginia bill that would have banned the sale of “assault firearms” has been tabled for a year, but misinformation about it continues to circulate online — including a false claim that the state will confiscate guns.

No Link Between Harvard Scientist Charles Lieber and Coronavirus

No Link Between Harvard Scientist Charles Lieber and Coronavirus

Q. Is it true that federal agents arrested Harvard professor Charles Lieber for creating the coronavirus?

A: No. Lieber, a nanoscientist, was charged for lying about his participation in a Chinese recruitment program and his affiliation with a Chinese university. He is not accused of being a spy and has no connection to the new coronavirus.

Story Misrepresents Abrams’ Remarks on Electoral College

Story Misrepresents Abrams’ Remarks on Electoral College

A story circulating online misleadingly claims Stacey Abrams “boasted that Democrats can ‘jerry-rig the system and go around the Constitution’ to win the 2020 election.” Her comments about moving to a national popular vote system were not about the 2020 election or securing a Democratic victory.