The internet has been rife with rumors about the school shooting that left 17 dead in Florida on Feb. 14. We’ve debunked several of them.
School Shooting Spawns Conspiracy Theories
Issues: conspiracy theories
No ‘Crisis Actors’ in Parkland, Florida
Q: Are the students who survived the Florida school shooting really “crisis actors”?
A: No. Conspiracy theories have been spreading online to undercut students advocating stricter gun control.
Debunking False Vaccine Claim
Q: Has the Food and Drug Administration announced that vaccines cause autism?
A: No. FDA statements are grounded in scientific evidence. There is no evidence that vaccination is linked to autism.
Blackout or Ham Radio Drill?
Q: Is the Department of Defense planning a drill that will cause a nationwide blackout? Is antifa involved?
A: No and no. The Army is conducting a drill with ham radio operators, and it has nothing to do with antifa.
No ‘Microchips’ for ‘All Americans’
Q: Is Congress considering a bill that would allow police to track “all Americans” with microchips?
A: No. A popular story on Facebook distorts the implications of proposed legislation to help locate missing Alzheimer’s patients and autistic children.
Jade Helm Not Martial Law
Q: Is Jade Helm 15 a government attempt to create martial law in the U.S.?
A: No. It’s a joint military training exercise lasting two months this summer.
Donald, You’re Fired!
If Donald Trump worked for us, we’d have to say: “Donald, you’re fired — for incompetence.” The successful developer and TV celebrity says he’d make a good president, and maybe he would — we take no stand either way about that. But when it comes to getting facts straight …
Lunar Conspiracy Theorists: Come Back to Earth!
Today is the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s successful landing on the moon – yet there are still those who would claim that the entire landing was a hoax. In 1999, Gallup reported that 6 percent of Americans did not believe U.S. astronauts ever landed on the moon, with another 5 percent (somehow) still unsure. One of the most common-sense responses to these theorists was spoken by Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke, who, according to The Space Review,