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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Debunking Viral Claims

These articles debunk misinformation shared on social media. We also provide resources for readers: an article and a video on how to combat misinformation.

From late 2016 to early 2025, FactCheck.org was one of several organizations working with Meta to debunk misinformation shared on Meta’s social media platforms.

Dispelling Unfounded Claims About Voting Machine Issues

Dispelling Unfounded Claims About Voting Machine Issues
October 28, 2026

Q: Are voting machines changing Democratic votes to Republican votes? Several posts on Facebook are making that claim.

A: There is no evidence that touchscreen voting machines are deliberately switching voter selections. Rather, elections experts and state election officials have said that reported issues of machines initially not recording votes correctly are a result of familiar machine calibration issues or voter error. Also, nearly the entire country votes in a manner where voters review a paper ballot before having their votes officially cast.

Social Media Posts Push False Claim of Trump Chopping Down 60 Cherry Trees

Social Media Posts Push False Claim of Trump Chopping Down 60 Cherry Trees
September 3, 2026

Q: Did the Trump administration have 60 cherry blossom trees cut down in D.C. to build a golf course?

A: In what the Department of Interior called “routine maintenance,” about 60 trees were removed from East Potomac Park, according to the Washington Post. But only one cherry tree removal was mentioned in that article, and an advocacy group opposed to major changes to the park told us it only knew “for certain” of one cherry tree being cut down.

The U.S. Treasury Didn’t Declare the Country ‘Insolvent’

The U.S. Treasury Didn’t Declare the Country ‘Insolvent’
April 7, 2026

Q: I read this on FB. Is it true? The U.S. Treasury just declared the U.S government is insolvent.

A: No. That’s the conclusion of an opinion piece that cited a Treasury report showing the government’s liabilities outweigh its assets. But that’s been the case for decades, and unlike an insolvent business, the government can levy taxes.

ICE Officers and Bonuses

ICE Officers and Bonuses
February 5, 2026

Q: Is it true that ICE agents are financially rewarded for the number of people taken into custody?

A: The Department of Homeland Security has said there is no such policy, and an immigration think tank told us it is unaware of any payments per arrest. The Wall Street Journal reported that agents “are rewarded for making arrests” but didn’t say how they are rewarded. Immigration and Customs Enforcement quickly scrapped a proposed program to pay bonuses to speed up deportations.

Viral Claims About Charlie Kirk’s Words

Viral Claims About Charlie Kirk’s Words
September 12, 2025

Since the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, social media users have shared posts showing, quoting or paraphrasing remarks the posts attribute to the conservative activist. Many readers have asked us to provide the facts on whether Kirk, the founder of the youth political group Turning Point USA, made several of these comments.

After Kirk’s Death, a False Social Media Post on Partisan Reaction to Violence

After Kirk’s Death, a False Social Media Post on Partisan Reaction to Violence
September 11, 2025

After the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, social media claims offering political views of the assassination and the reaction to it quickly spread. One message falsely claimed that “not a single Republican condemned” the targeted shooting of a Democratic politician in Minnesota in June. Many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, condemned it.

Online Posts Make Baseless Claim Linking Protesters to Craigslist Ad

Online Posts Make Baseless Claim Linking Protesters to Craigslist Ad
June 12, 2025

Q: Is there an ad in Craigslist to hire people to riot in L.A.?

A: No, there has been no such ad on Craigslist. Some social media posts cited a Craigslist ad to falsely claim it showed that people protesting the immigration raids in Los Angeles were being paid for their actions. But a pair of podcasters told the Associated Press they placed the ad as a prank for their show, and it had nothing to do with the protests.

Was Record of Heroic Nurse Wiped from Defense Department Archives?

Was Record of Heroic Nurse Wiped from Defense Department Archives?
May 8, 2025

Q: Did President Donald Trump call military nurse Ruby Bradley a “loser,” and were there orders for her service history to be removed from Department of Defense archives?

A: There’s no evidence for these claims. We could find no record of Trump referring to nurse Ruby Bradley, who received 34 medals for her service during World War II and the Korean War. A Pentagon spokesperson told us that there was “nothing deleted and/or taken offline related to Ruby Bradley”

Legal Scholars Dispute Constitutional ‘Loophole’ for a Third Trump Term

Legal Scholars Dispute Constitutional ‘Loophole’ for a Third Trump Term
April 3, 2025

President Donald Trump said in a March 30 interview that “there are methods” for him to serve a third term in the White House, and a Daily Mail article referred to a “loophole” in the 22nd Amendment that would make it possible. But legal experts told us the “loophole” legal argument is “implausible” and “defeats the clear intent” of the amendment.