Last December, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the first vaccine proven to prevent severe illness and death from COVID-19. Less than a month later, supporters of now-former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election.
In 2021, those two events became the basisfor a torrent of misinformation in Americans' social media feeds.
Vaccine skeptics promoted false and unproven claims about shots from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, alleging they were ineffective and potentially more harmful than COVID-19 itself.
Revisionist takes on the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, boosted in part by supporters of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, found a home on platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Months after the attack on the Capitol, misinformation about the riot – including false claims that the FBI or anti-fascist activists were behind the violence – continue to circulate online.
USA TODAY has fact-checked dozens of claims about COVID-19 and the aftermath of the presidential election. Here's a roundup of some of the most pervasive misinformation narratives we saw in 2021.
The year started with a breakthrough: a vaccine that's highly effective at preventing severe illness and death from COVID-19. Today, more than 200 million Americans have been inoculated.
But online, some have doubted the safety and efficacy of the shot since the beginning.
...
Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday announced is seeking to fine an immigration attorney who allegedly filed false asylum claims -- the first time the agency has filed such a claim. Home...