This week in fake news
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked these out. Here are the real facts:
NOT REAL: Michael Buble to retire from music
THE FACTS: The Canadian singer says he is not retiring from music despite reports circulating online. In an interview with The Associated Press, Buble disputed a report in the Daily Mail that said he would quit music after the release of his upcoming album, Love, due out Nov. 16. The report suggested that the Grammy-winning singer was stepping away from music for good following his son Noah’s cancer battle. Buble responded to the report saying, “I’ll keep going until the news of my death comes out, which will probably be fake too.” The Daily Mail said it stands by its reporting.
NOT REAL: Mayo Clinic employee is misdiagnosing pregnancies of Trump supporters
THE FACTS: A doctor at the Mayo Clinic is not misdiagnosing pregnancies of Trump supporters as ectopic “so they have to abort their white fetuses,” as a tweet circulating online claims.
Clinic officials debunked the tweet by a user who goes by the handle @drnifkin — Dr. Nifkin — in June, and again this week after it resurfaced when right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos posted a screenshot of it on Facebook. In an interview with The Associated Press, Lee Aase, a Mayo Clinic spokesman, attributed the tweet to a troll account. “There is no doctor by this name at the Mayo Clinic,” he said. “There is absolutely nothing to it.” Aase said.
NOT REAL: Thousands of Ku Klux Klan members march down Fifth Avenue in New York City to attend the Democratic National Convention in 1924
THE FACTS: A photo circulating online falsely claims to show 50,000 Ku Klux Klan members walking down Fifth Avenue for the 1924 Democratic National Convention in New York City.
According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the picture was taken in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1924.
The site’s photo description says KKK members in white hoods and robes were walking to a funeral for police officer, Herbert Dreger, who was killed in an ambush.
In addition, Rory McVeigh, author of The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan: Right-Wing Movements and National Politics, told The Associated Press in an email that, “the 50,000 figure would certainly not be anywhere close to accurate.” He said Klan leaders and sympathizers would often exaggerate attendance at marches and rallies.
McVeigh noted the Klan did have a role at the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden in 1924, as some of the delegates were Klan members. They would not be wearing regalia inside the convention hall, according to McVeigh.
NOT REAL NEWS: Clouds roll over Panama Beach, Florida, hotels as Hurricane Michael arrives
THE FACTS: A dramatic photo of clouds arching over beachfront hotels was taken from a helicopter on Feb. 5, 2012, over Panama City Beach, Florida.
It was taken by JR Hott, president of Panhandle Helicopter. Hott told The Associated Press that the photo was taken during a helicopter flight in 2012. The photo went viral at the time.
Stories described the weather event as a “cloud tsunami.” Schaeffer said that the temperature, humidity and wind were just right for the sea fog to cover the buildings.
This is part of The Associated Press’ ongoing effort to factcheck misinformation that is shared widely online.