This was supposed to be the year of defining a “new normal” — and, in our opinion, maybe even having a re-do.
No such luck. First, we saw a massive misinformation campaign to try to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Never before had we battled such a well-funded effort to try to erode Americans’ trust in the democratic process, nor had we seen so many extreme ideas go mainstream from fringe political groups. Heading into the year, we had a sophisticated operation to closely monitor obscure corners of the internet where voter-fraud conspiracies originated.
Yet nothing could have prepared us for Jan. 6, 2021. From cell phone footage supposedly showing Capitol police helping Trump supporters breach the federal building to the former president’s comments and whereabouts during the attack, our newsroom scrambled to sort fact from fiction in real time — and in the months after the historic day.
That was all aside from Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration, an effort by Democrats to impeach Trump (again), an ongoing civil rights movement to call attention to police brutality, and scaremongering rumors about the effects of COVID-19 vaccinations. Pseudoscientific arguments circulated widely to discredit scientists’ work to develop what remains the leading solution to the pandemic, and we were inundated with readers’ questions about how the inoculations actually impact humans’ immune systems.
Then, over the summer, we met the COVID-19 variant delta. She seems to be sticking around with company (omicron).
No matter the topic at the center of our reporting in 2021, however, we filled a dire need for tools to help grow people’s media literacy. Behind every Snopes rating is fact-based, explanatory journalism that relies on thoroughly vetted sources and context that other media outlets may omit.
We thank you for your support, and we look forward to more debunking in 2022 — maybe, just maybe, it’ll be a bit more “normal” than the last.
‘COVID’, ‘Biden’ & ‘Ivermectin’ Among Top Search Terms
Snopes readers have a nose for news — and an unquenchable thirst for getting to the bottom of misinformation on the internet. In 2021, readers searched nearly 8 million unique terms on the Snopes website, the leading among them being some iteration of “COVID-19” and some form of related “vaccines,” followed by “Biden,” “Fauci,” and “Trump.”
In a year rife with misinformation, the Snopes team went deep to get to the bottom of some of the internet’s most contested content. Among such stories published in 2021 were:
Most Read News Stories of 2021
Ranked by popularity.
- Background Check: Investigating George Floyd’s Criminal Record
The question of past arrests often surfaces among people who want to rationalize police officers’ actions when Black men are killed in custody. - What’s True and False About Kyle Rittenhouse’s Alleged Victims
Fans of the teenager launched an online campaign to smear the reputations of his victims. - Did Bonne Maman Co. Shelter People During the Holocaust?
As the story went, a woman reportedly told a grocery shopper that she always buys the Bonne Maman brand of preserves because she was a holocaust survivor, and that the founders of the company had protected her family during World War II. - ‘National Rape Day’ Warnings Circulate on TikTok
Whether you call it a joke, prank, troll campaign or a hoax, there is no “National Rape Day” that provides legal immunity for sexual assault. - Geert Vanden Bossche Stokes Fear of COVID-19 Vaccine To Promote His Own Flawed ‘Solution’
Anti-vaccine activists are promoting a veterinarian’s claim that the only way to prevent a future COVID-19 vaccination-related calamity is through a product he claims to have invented. - Amy Schumer Trucker Photo, Explained
In June 2021, comedian Amy Schumer became a trending topic on Twitter after “Celina 52 Truck Stop” posted a photograph of a new “contest winner” who strongly resembled the actress.
- Farmer’s Almanac Predicts ‘Season of Shivers’
First published in 1792 when former U.S. President George Washington was in office, the reference guide is America’s oldest, continuously published periodical. - Watch ‘Space Mountain with the Lights On’ at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
“It’s more scary with the lights on,” read the TikTok comment with the most likes.
Most Viewed Fact Checks of 2021
Ranked from highest number of views.
- Did Biden Poop His Pants in Rome?
Another president, another pants pooping rumor. This time around, U.S. President Joe Biden was said to have pooped his pants during a meeting with Pope Francis. - No, Trump Did Not Wear His Pants Backwards at Rally
You asked, so we watched the 90-minute speech. - Does Putting a Ziplock Bag Over a Car Mirror Have a Legitimate Purpose?
Online advertisements promised what appeared to be a handy trick for drivers involving plastic Ziplock bags. - ‘Was Dr. Phil’s Divorce Settlement ‘Finally Revealed’ as $1M?
An online advertisement that featured a picture of the famous therapist and his wife claimed to lead to details on a divorce settlement. - Is a Testicular Blow Exponentially More Painful Than Childbirth?
There are no real winners in this contest. - Did Nike Partner with Lil Nas X on ‘Satan Shoes’ Containing Human Blood?
The devil is always in the details. Although the shoes are Nikes, a Nike spokesperson told us the company has nothing to do with the creation or sale of the “Satan shoes.” - Did Rush Limbaugh’s ‘AIDS Update’ Mock the Deaths of Gay People?
The radio host would later say he regretted the segment as it made fun of people who were dying excruciating deaths. - Should an Empty Toilet Paper Roll or Red Cup Be Placed Under the Toilet Seat at Night?
Online advertisements promised what appeared to be a handy bathroom trick. - Did Man at Capitol Riot Die After Accidentally Tasing Himself?
Five persons died in conjunction with the Capitol riot, but some reports surrounding their deaths weren’t entirely accurate. - Did a ‘Convicted Terrorist’ Sit on the Board of a BLM Funding Body?
The past crimes of Susan Rosenberg reemerged in the summer of 2020, amid a new wave of protests over racial injustice and police brutality.
2021 in Fact Checks: Snopes’ Staff Picks & Standouts
All of these pages were published in 2021.
Best of: ‘I Did My Own Research’
Usually code for ‘I cherry-picked vaccine stats to confirm what I already believe.’
Supposed Presidential Faux Pas
Biden supposedly fell asleep on the job, fumbled quotes, or passed gas on the regular.
Most Obviously Photoshopped
One manipulated picture is worth a thousand words.
- Is Joshua Ladu the Tallest Man in the World at 9 feet 8?
In November 2021, an image was circulated on social media that supposedly showed a person who had just been named by the “Guinness Book of World Records” as the tallest man in the world. - Is Bill Gates Transitioning from Man to Woman?
In May 2021, a video claimed to show Bill Gates with breast implants, or transitioning from a man to a woman. - Is K-Y Krispy Kreme Lube a Genuine Product?
We searched through K-Y’s collection of lubricants on the company’s websites and among the doughnuts and other merchandise available on Krispy Kreme’s website. - Does Photo Show Biden with Jeffrey Epstein?
An image supposedly showing U.S. President Joe Biden with (now deceased) convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was circulated online in December 2021 as the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, one of Epstein’s associates, got underway in New York. - Viral Gas Pump Photo with Biden Sticker Was Digitally Altered
A nonpolitical moment was made both political and misleading with the use of digital editing software. - No, Biden Did Not Grope Psaki During Job Interview
A demeaning doctored photo was shared in an apparent attempt to smear the White House press secretary and President Joe Biden. - Does a Pic Show Pete Buttigieg Wearing a Breastfeeding Device?
Buttigieg has been feeding his twin babies with a bottle during paternity leave. - Did This MiG Land on a Dam?
A video supposedly showing a fighter jet landing on a dam racked up more than 100,000 views in July 2021. - Dr. Rachel Levine Bathing Suit Photo is Fake
Dr. Rachel Levine, the U.S. assistant secretary for health and one of the only openly transgender people to be serving in the federal government, is frequently the victim of transphobic and fat-phobic content on social media. - Did Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Get New ‘Handmaid’ Uniforms?
In September 2021, the day after the country’s strictest abortion law went into effect in Texas, a photograph started circulated on social media that supposedly showed the new “Handmaid’s Tale” uniforms of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Most Believable Fake Vid
Digitally altered footage that almost fooled us at first watch.
Craziest Critter
The animal kingdom plus cell phone technology equaled numerous fact checks.
Bathroom Readers
Some of these claims didn’t pass the sniff test.
Deepest Rabbit Hole
Investigations into these rumors led us down some unusual paths.
Can’t Believe We Had To Check This
All because Twitter was wilding out.
- Should a Bottle Always Be Put on Tires When Parked?
We tracked down the origins of the rumor that was displayed in online a
dvertisements. - Did Greta Thunberg Disguise Herself as Pro-Trump Rioter?
If so, an uncredited meme would not likely be the first to report the discovery. - Were Gorillas at Bronx Zoo Filmed Engaging in a Sex Act?
A NSFW video appeared to show two gorillas “going down” on each other. - Yes, You Can Order Pre-Stained ‘Wet Pants Denim’
Whether one should is another question entirely. - Did California Man Find Shrimp Tails in His Cereal Box?
The same person also shared photos that appeared to show various other contaminants in the same box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. - Are Goat and Sheep Feces Drinks Being Sold in China?
The idiom “pooh-pooh” is used to dismiss arguments, opinions, or rumors that are not worthy of consideration. - No, Maricopa County Ballots Weren’t Destroyed in a Chicken Farm Fire
Conspiracy theories abounded during a partisan recount of Arizona’s 2020 presidential election results. - Does Drinking Apple Juice ‘Make Your PP Bigger’?
YouTube, dank memes, and years-old clickbait collided in June 2020 to foster the scientifically illiterate conclusion that drinking apple juice makes your penis bigger. - Did FloraSpring Help a 65-Year-Old Man ‘Poop Out 42 Pounds’?
Online advertisements for the FloraSpring weight loss supplement led users to pictures and video of Dr. Steven Masley, and mentions of a “pooping habit.” - No, Biden Did Not Say Unvaccinated Americans ‘Will Be Put in Camps’
Conspiracy theorists seized upon a supposedly satirical article, and deployed it as inflammatory disinformation against the president. - No, Joe Biden Did Not Lower the Age of Consent to 8
Fake screenshots of nonexistent CNN and NBC stories were the latest installment of a set of conspiracy theories completely detached from reality. - Does Video Show Athletes Fainting Due to COVID-19 Vaccine?
A series of fear-mongering videos were circulated on social media with unsubstantiated and false claims. - Did Doctors Recommend Genital COVID-19 Vaccination Injections for Men?
Social media users shared a pair of bizarre claims about the supposedly unique effects of COVID-19 vaccines on men. - Did Delta Force Raid Biden’s Compound in Ukraine?
This rumor is little more than a conspiratorial game of Mad Libs. - No, Don’t Use Ivermectin-Soaked Tampons as COVID-19 Prevention
Putting tampons soaked in a liquid solution that includes ivermectin into vaginas were said to be an effective and safe step to fight COVID-19.
Most Unexpectedly True
Checks notes — yep, that actually happened.
Honorable Mention
Some claims were so bizarre that they’re uncategorizable.
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