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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Misleading Claim Swirls Over Pledge of Allegiance at DNC

Misleading Claim Swirls Over Pledge of Allegiance at DNC

The prime-time programming for the Democratic National Convention every night on TV included a recital of the Pledge of Allegiance, including the phrase “under God.” Two individual Democratic caucuses omitted those words during daytime meetings — prompting claims that misleadingly suggested they were dropped throughout the convention.

Obama Did Not Ban the Pledge

Obama Did Not Ban the Pledge

Q: Did President Obama sign an executive order banning the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools?
A: No. That claim comes from a satirical story on a fake news website.

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The rumor that President Barack Obama refuses, or doesn’t know how, to say the pledge of allegiance just won’t die. Since early in his presidential candidacy, we’ve been getting e-mails with photos that purport to show Obama failing to properly salute the flag during the pledge of allegiance or the national anthem. The photos have reliably been real, but taken out of context. The most recent example, for instance, included a genuine photo of Obama standing with hands folded while everyone else saluted or put their hands over their hearts —