Hoaxes & Rumors

Fake This Week: E-Cig “Juice” Ban, Snowden CIA and Global Warming

Fake This Week: E-Cig “Juice” Ban, Snowden CIA and Global Warming

Here is a running recap of some of the more prominent fake stories floating around the internet this week.

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Fake This Week

Floyd Mayweather didn’t show up to a Trump rally wearing a hijab. An article and accompanying fake photo by the website The Kicker reports that boxer Floyd Mayweather was spotted at a Donald Trump rally sporting a “Muslim headscarf.” The Kicker, however, is a “news sports comedy” website. The story and the photo are both fake.

Edward Snowden didn’t say global warming is an invention of the CIA. A fake news article from World News Daily Report writes that Edward Snowden has classified information which proves that global warming is an invention of the CIA. This assertion received heavy discussion and sharing online, apparently without much research into the source – which is a fake news website. World News Daily Report is one of many bogus news sites which regularly publishes outlandish false stories on controversial topics. These types of articles often prompt knee-jerk sharing on social media. Regardless of which side of the global warming debate you fall on, this fake story has no place in the conversation.

The FDA didn’t ban e-cigarette “juice.” The low-brow, poorly-written, click-bait website Associated Media Coverage – which was only created last month – dropped a fear-mongering story that claims the FDA will banned electronic cigarette “juice” effective July 2016. The story has no merit, no sources, nor corroboration, and no credibility. It follows the standard click-bait protocol to publish an outrageous story which will likely gain high numbers of views and shares from readers who don’t realize the source is bogus.

A black Trump supporter wasn’t killed during by protesters at the Chicago rally. A headline from Christian Times Newspaper reported that a black supporter of Donald Trump had been shot and killed by angry protesters at the chaotic Chicago rally. If you scroll way down to the bottom of that site, you’ll find a footer which admits that the site posts fake news. “We make it abundantly aware the not all stories are necessarily grounded in fact.” The story cited no sources, nor did any other media outlet report such a shooting.

The Church of Scientology didn’t lose its tax-exempt status. A fake news story suggested that the Supreme Court revoked the Church of Scientology’s status. No such decision was handed down, and there has been no recent change in the church’s status in over two decades.

A picture doesn’t show conjoined twins separated by Ben Carson in 1987 as they look today. A photo of two strapping young men has been shared along with another image of conjoined twins attached at the head. It is claimed that Dr. Ben Carson separated the conjoined twins, and the young men are how those twins look today. Conjoined twins, Benjamin and Patrick Binder, were in fact separated by Dr. Carson in 1987, but it isn’t clear if the photo of the conjoined twins actually shows the Binders. The two young men, however, are completely unrelated to the Binders or Dr. Carson, and they were never conjoined. The Binder twins faced a lifetime of health problems, and have largely remained out of the public eye since their separation nearly three decades ago. Read more from our friends at Hoax Slayer.

conjoined-twins-fake

Rob Halford isn’t joining AC/DC. Fans of AC/DC were shocked and surprised to hear this week that singer Brian Johnson was forced to cut their tour short, or face permanent hearing loss. The band announced that they may reschedule the rest of the tour with a guest singer. Fake news site National Report jumped on the announcement and published a bogus story claiming that Judas Priest alum Rob Halford would be stepping into Johnson’s role. National Report posts fake news in the name of satire, and AC/DC has not announced any replacement singer as of this writing.

A group of Trump Supporters didn’t wear shirts that read “Make America White Again.” This is merely the work of a quick Photoshop job, which only required changing the word “Great” to “White” on one shirt in the photo. While it isn’t clear if this was created as a joke, a statement, or as a dig at Trump supporters, it has seen heavy sharing by a large number of social media users who thought it was real.

I will continue to update this page until March 19. Any fake stories I find after that will go into my next installment of “Fake This Week.”

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Hoaxes & Rumors
@accroya

James White specializes in internet hoaxes, travel, product reviews, and social media.

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