Tracking Hoaxes And Misleading Posts About The Nationwide Police Brutality Protests

If you use social media to find out what's happening with the protests over the death of George Floyd, you'll likely have seen some that were disinformation or outright hoaxes. In the heat of the moment, it's very hard to winnow out the truth from a sea of misinformation especially when that misinformation is being spread by sophisticated agents with an aim to create chaos. 

Buzzfeed has assembled a page that lists many of the problematic posts that have been coming across social media. As I write this late Wednesday afternoon, there are 45 items. I recommend bookmarking the page for later reference as the list is sure to grow. 

Here's how they categorize items on the list, along with an important piece of advice:

Before passing on any online rumor, take the time to verify it. This can be done by checking how recently an account has been created, keeping a close eye on information from news outlets, or searching online to find another source.

How to read this post:

UNVERIFIED: Claims that have no concrete evidence either confirming or refuting them. This type of claim has either no sources or no evidence, and is based on conjecture with no original reporting behind it. Treat this kind of information with healthy skepticism and wait to see how it develops.

MISLEADING: Posts that take a real occurrence out of context, for example miscaptioning a video or photo from the protests. This can also include images that are presented at a deceptive angle or descriptions of events that cherry-pick facts. Avoid spreading or engaging with this type of post.

FALSE: Reporters or reliable sources with direct knowledge have contradicted this information on the record, or it is refuted by unimpeachable evidence. Examples include images or videos filmed at a different time or location but presented as recent, demonstrably false claims, and websites masquerading as news outlets publishing untrue information.

Do take some time to look through the list. While some of the items are obvious fakes, there are many that could be hard to spot without some digging.