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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

The Whoppers of 2019

The Whoppers of 2019

Our compilation of the most egregious falsehoods of the year.

Posts Distort O’Rourke’s Criminal Record

Posts Distort O’Rourke’s Criminal Record

Viral posts falsely claim Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke can’t own a gun due to a felony. O’Rourke has not been convicted of a felony.

O’Rourke Not Alone in Support of Mandatory Buyback

O’Rourke Not Alone in Support of Mandatory Buyback

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke has faced backlash from Republicans, and some Democrats, for his debate-night advocacy of a mandatory buyback program for so-called assault weapons. But Sen. Chuck Schumer went too far when he said, “I don’t know of any other Democrat who agrees with Beto O’Rourke.”

Another Bogus Beto Photo

Another Bogus Beto Photo

A photo circulating online falsely identifies a man who appears to have wet his pants as Beto O’Rourke. The photo actually shows Alexander Giannascoli, a 26-year-old musician, who said he had spilled beer on his pants.

Baseless Claim of Odessa Shooter’s ‘Beto Sticker’

Baseless Claim of Odessa Shooter’s ‘Beto Sticker’

Viral posts on social media make the baseless claim that the shooter in Odessa, Texas, had a sticker on his car for Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke. The Texas Department of Public Safety said there was no sticker on the car he was driving during the attack.

O’Rourke on Jobs ‘No One Else Will Do’

O’Rourke on Jobs ‘No One Else Will Do’

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said workers living in the U.S. illegally who were swept up in immigration raids at chicken processing plants in Mississippi are “doing a job that no one else will do.” The jobs are hard and don’t pay well, but they are in demand at one of the plants.

Politics of Gun Violence

Politics of Gun Violence

In the aftermath of two deadly mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, U.S. political leaders made a series of statements on gun violence that were unsubstantiated, lacked context or were seemingly contradictory. Here we look at some of those statements and present the facts.

FactChecking the Second Democratic Debate

FactChecking the Second Democratic Debate

The first of the back-to-back Democratic debates in July included spin from the candidates on gun violence, Republican tax cuts, climate change, manufacturing jobs and more.