MEBRO · DISINFO DESK
Investigations
Long-form dossiers on the hoaxes, deepfakes, and death rumors that go viral — each one stamped with a verdict and printed with every source on the record.
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
The Merz-Epstein Photo Is Fake — For the Fourth Time This Year
A black-and-white image claiming to show German Chancellor Friedrich Merz posing with Jeffrey Epstein at a 2014 BlackRock event went viral again in early September. It's a Google AI composite of two unrelated real photos that fact-checkers have now debunked four separate times since February.
FILED SEP 11, 2026 · 4 SOURCES
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
The Shabana Mahmood 'Hijab' Photo Is AI-Generated — And So Is Her Quote
A viral image shows UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood wearing a keffiyeh as a hijab next to a quote she never said. The photo carries a traceable OpenAI watermark, and it lands amid a year of sustained online abuse over her Muslim faith.
FILED SEP 6, 2026 · UPDATED SEP 6, 2026 · 4 SOURCES
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
The Von der Leyen-Epstein 'Files' Photo Is AI, Not a Leak
A photo claiming to show EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with Jeffrey Epstein went viral again on X in September 2026 with fake case numbers attached. AI-detection tools found an OpenAI watermark baked into the image, and a Kremlin-linked network helped push it.
FILED SEP 5, 2026 · UPDATED SEP 5, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
No, Mamdani's NYC Grocery Stores Don't Require a '666' Mark to Shop
A satirical Babylon Bee post claiming New York's city-run grocery stores would require a mark on shoppers' "hand or forehead" spread as real news, layering a mark-of-the-beast hoax onto a genuine fight over whether the stores would require ID.
FILED SEP 1, 2026 · UPDATED SEP 1, 2026 · 5 SOURCES
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
The FireAid 'Laundering' Myth: A Real Congressional Report, a False Conspiracy
Following the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed more than 16,000 homes and structures, the entertainment industry raised over $100 million through the FireAid benefit concerts. A Trump Truth Social post and a later House Judiciary Committee report both raised real questions about how grantees spent the money — but online claims that funds were criminally 'laundered' to undocumented immigrants and that zero fire victims received aid go well beyond what either source supports, and are contradicted by an independent law-firm audit and by fire survivors who did receive help.
FILED AUG 31, 2026 · UPDATED AUG 31, 2026 · 8 SOURCES
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
Epstein Files: Separating Legitimate Documents From Fabricated Claims
Federal courts really did unseal genuine Epstein-related depositions and evidentiary flight logs — but viral "client lists" naming celebrities and politicians, and even fake government memos, are fabrications the Justice Department itself has disavowed.
FILED AUG 29, 2026 · UPDATED AUG 29, 2026 · 9 SOURCES
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
'The Internet Died in 2016' Theory
Fact-checking the Dead Internet Theory claiming most online content is AI-generated bots. Evidence shows the internet remains human-driven despite bot presence.
FILED AUG 22, 2026 · UPDATED AUG 22, 2026 · 13 SOURCES
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
D.C. Mid-Air Collision Misinfo
Fact-check of misinformation narratives surrounding the January 2025 D.C. mid-air collision near Reagan National Airport. DEI-blame claims and sabotage conspiracy theories are unsupported; FAA staffing shortages are real. Updated with the NTSB's final findings, released January 2026.
FILED AUG 22, 2026 · UPDATED AUG 22, 2026 · 9 SOURCES
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
Charlie Kirk Assassination Conspiracy Theories: A Comprehensive Debunking
Comprehensive fact-check of conspiracy theories surrounding Charlie Kirk's September 2025 assassination at Utah Valley University.
FILED AUG 21, 2026 · UPDATED AUG 21, 2026 · 11 SOURCES
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
No, 'Technocratic Elites' Aren't Burning the West With Weather Weapons
A video viewed nearly 300,000 times claims wildfires are a deliberate geoengineering attack. The footage is authentic wildfire coverage from France, and scientists say the physics behind the conspiracy doesn't hold up.
FILED AUG 18, 2026 · UPDATED AUG 18, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
Barilla 'Insect Flour' Claims: EU Regulations vs. Social Media Panic
Fact-check of viral claims that Barilla pasta contains insect flour — traced to a misread 2022 promotional video, verified against Barilla's own statements, EU insect-protein regulations, and Italian fact-checkers.
FILED AUG 17, 2026 · UPDATED AUG 17, 2026 · 8 SOURCES
Conspiracy & Hoaxes
No, Mamdani's Grocery Stores Don't Require a Mark on Your Hand or Forehead
A labeled satire piece got stripped of its satire tag, spliced with a doctored '666' photo, and spread as real policy — riding on top of a genuine, far more mundane city ID debate.
FILED AUG 12, 2026 · UPDATED AUG 12, 2026 · 4 SOURCES
Investigative reports — not user-submitted fact-checks.