Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Please support us by becoming a premium member or sharing our work.
A satirical Facebook page called America’s Last Line of Defense (ALLOD) publishes made-up stories designed to look like real news — and many conservatives are sharing them as fact. As a result, these claims spread across social media, often stripped of any satire label, where they’re mistaken for genuine reporting.
We’ve assembled 10 claims that have circulated online — some real news, some ALLOD fabrications. Can you tell the difference?
Your time is recording, and the highest score in the shortest amount of time wins a stylish NewsGuard cap.
What’s happening: Liberal social media users are falsely claiming that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s name from a webpage listing notable people buried at Arlington National Cemetery, describing it as a racist move aimed at diminishing the military contributions of minority servicemembers.
Context: Colin Powell, who died in 2021, was the first Black American to hold three of the U.S. government’s highest positions: national security advisor (under Ronald Reagan), secretary of state (under George W. Bush), and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (under George H.W. Bush).
Powell received two Presidential Medals of Freedom and the...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Please support us by becoming a premi...