Is it authentic?

Is the context accurate?

Is there evidence that proves the claim?

Is it based on solid reasoning?

Has it been posted or confirmed by a credible source?

Police and the medical examiner discounted any conspiracies and ruled the death as not suspicious. 

“FACT FOCUS: No head trauma or suspicious circumstances in drowning of Obamas’ chef, police say”

“Fact Check: Obamas’ Chef Did NOT Have ‘Blunt Trauma’ Prior To His Death And They Did NOT ‘Call Off’ The Autopsy” 

Death of Obamas’ personal chef exploited by conspiracy theorists

The Obamas’ personal chef and former White House chef, Tafari Campbell, 

 experience a head injury before falling from his paddleboard and drowning near the Obamas’ home on Martha’s Vineyard.

 call off the autopsy and fly in their own medical examiner to perform it.

 by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner revealed no external trauma, injuries or other circumstances requiring investigation.

 of anything suspicious regarding the death, according to the Massachusetts State Police.

The Obamas have said publicly they considered Campbell a “beloved” part of the family and the notion they would be involved in a murder and cover-up would only seem plausible to conspiracists and hyperpartisan accounts.

When Tafari Campbell, personal chef to former President Barack Obama and his family, died while paddleboarding near the family’s Martha’s Vineyard home on July 23, some social media accounts began pushing conspiracy theories that the Obamas were involved. But there’s no evidence of that. Let’s look at the facts.

No, these rumors were spread by hyperpartisan and conspiratorial accounts with a history of pushing rumors and false claims.  

Conspiratorial thinking is largely driven by logical fallacies and cognitive biases — and generally unencumbered by the absence of facts and evidence. This allows conspiracy theorists to move quickly in the wake of breaking news stories to spread unsubstantiated and outright false rumors with the aim of sowing doubt about official narratives. By the time verified information emerges from standards-based news sources to complicate or disprove these baseless claims, the seeds of doubt and suspicion have often already taken root.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. In the wake of breaking news events, be wary of evidence-free assertions that emerge quickly, before official and standards-based news sources of information confirm details. Social media users should also be skeptical of claims that play on old conspiratorial tropes. The notion that a high-profile political figure was involved in a “mysterious” death is frequently floated without evidence by conspiracy theorists and has previously been used to smear former Presidents 

These headlines are not authentic news — they’re from a satire site. 

We can all make better choices about the information we consume, share and act on. But can you tell the difference between social media posts that are false or misleading and those that are credible?

Test your news literacy skills with this quiz and help stop the flood of misinformation.

News Lit Quiz: Should you share it?

These stories were removed from their original context, a satire site, and shared online as if they were genuine. 

This infographic summarizes key concepts related to misinformation.

Misinformation Infographic

In brief: Misinformation

The evidence shows that these stories are satirical. 

This tutorial video teaches you the basics of “lateral reading” (doing effective internet searches to evaluate a source or piece of information).

Lateral Reading

Tutorial: Lateral reading

“Claim that Luke Bryan pulled his videos from CMT originated as satire” 

“No, Hank Williams Jr. Didn’t Resign from CMT’s Board of Directors in Support of Jason Aldean” 

“No, Blake Shelton Didn’t Cancel $30M Project with CMT To Show Support for Jason Aldean” 

CMT backlash over Jason Aldean song exaggerated in satirical posts 

 didn’t resign from CMT’s board of directors and 

 didn’t cancel a $30 million project with CMT in response to the network’s removal of the video for 

All three of these claims originated with made-up articles from a 

 that frequently publishes content to mock conservatives.

The video for the song is set outside a courthouse that was the site of a lynching in 1927 and features footage of violent protests, 

several of which did not take place in the United States

After CMT pulled a controversial video for Jason Aldean’s song Try That in a Small Town on July 18, articles reporting that high-profile country singers are boycotting CMT spread widely on social media. But the stories aren’t actual news reports; they’re satire. Let’s look at the facts. 

These headlines were originally published by a satirical website and were widely shared out of context by partisan accounts. 

This infographic provides five steps for vetting news sources and includes a list of “trust busters” to watch out for in your information diet.


 Is it legit? Five steps for vetting a news source

When encountering a news headline via a screenshot instead of an embedded link, social media users should proceed with caution. These images often turn out to be 

 of nonexistent news headlines (a form of impostor content) or out-of-context satirical articles that look like news.

The satire site where all three of these stories originated clearly labels itself as fiction, but this content is often removed from its original context and shared online as if it were genuine. This type of misinformation, referred to as 

, can be difficult to resist, especially when it pertains to a controversial topic that evokes strong emotional responses.

There is no evidence that supports these claims, which spread within minutes of the first reports on James’ condition, before any information about the cause was available. 

“No Evidence COVID-19 Vaccine Caused Bronny James’ Cardiac Arrest” 

Bronny James’ cardiac arrest spurs wave of vaccine misinformation

 that the COVID-19 vaccines were related to Bronny James’ cardiac arrest on July 24 during basketball practice at the University of Southern California.

, an inflammation of the heart and a rare side effect of vaccines and viruses that is not limited to COVID-19 vaccines.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the most common cause of death (excluding accidents or trauma) among college athletes, according to 

This claim was offered without evidence and does not align with medical evidence about the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Within minutes of the news breaking that Bronny James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, experienced cardiac arrest during basketball practice, anti-vaxxers took to social media to spread evidence-free claims blaming the incident on the COVID-19 vaccine. But there is no evidence to support these claims and they contradict evidence and expert consensus about the safety of the vaccines. 

The false claim that the COVID-19 vaccine caused James to suffer cardiac arrest was largely spread by those pushing anti-vaccination conspiracy theories. 

When a major news event happens, it takes time to gather and verify information. While reporters at standards-based news outlets are interviewing witnesses, consulting medical experts and verifying claims before publishing news articles, conspiracy theorists jump onto social media to flood the information gap with wild speculation and baseless assumptions. Social media users, including Elon Musk, owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, pushed the baseless narrative that the incident was caused by the COVID-19 vaccine. This is a tried-and-tired tactic used by anti-vaxxers and conspiracy pushers.

These evidence-free claims are bound to pop up the next time an athlete suddenly collapses, so here are a few things to keep in mind:

 phenomenon — though people suddenly noticing these incidents is new.

 that can cause sudden cardiac arrest, such as an irregular heart rhythm, congenital heart defects or, as in the case of NFL player Damar Hamlin, 

These medical issues are often kept private. Those who claim to “know” what caused a medical issue — especially in the immediate aftermath — are almost certainly speculating without evidence.

 from COVID-19 infection is higher than the risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 vaccines.