10 most popular social media fact-checks of 2020

In 2020, PolitiFact fact-checked hundreds of false and misleading claims on social media. Their variety reflects a year filled with crises, both real and fabricated.

There were fake tweets about stay-at-home orders and misinformation about face masks. Out-of-context videos and conspiracy theories constructed a false narrative about widespread election fraud. Fake accounts and viral rumors fanned paranoia about protests against police brutality and wildfires on the West Coast. Baseless allegations of pedophilia in Washington and Hollywood were rampant across platforms.

Through it all, disinformation that downplayed and denied the...