Facts Matter: False IDs of MSU shooter spread on social media
A gunman last week killed three students and injured five others at Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan.
University police took to social media to warn the public.
"MSU ALERT: There have been shots fired near Berkey Hall on the East Lansing campus. Please secure-in-place immediately. Police are active on scene. More information to follow," read a Feb. 13 tweet.
But as the tragedy unfolded, not all the information circulating on social media was helpful.
"#BREAKING: Michigan State University SHOOTING SUSPECT is 21 year old 'Lynn Dee Walker' according to dispatch audio. He is still on the loose and considered armed and dangerous," read a tweet that was shared on Facebook.
"#BREAKING Michigan State University SUSPECT is 22 year old 'Raymone Jordan' 5'7, 287lbs, also known as 'Jordie' according to dispatch audio. He is still on at large and on the loose ARMED and DANGEROUS," read a different tweet.
However, those posts are wrong, according to PolitiFact. Officials have identified the shooter as Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43, who later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The incorrect posts also include photos identified as the gunman. The photo that is supposedly Ramone Jordan has actually been used in other false claims.
Some social media comments blamed the false posts on misinformation taken from police scanners, which can be "notoriously unreliable" during an incident, PolitiFact said.
Quake not created by research project
The number of dead is increasing and rescue crews continue to sort through rubble following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6 in Turkey and Syria.
Some social media users claim the quake was a result of work by the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, a research project that uses radio waves to study parts of Earth's upper atmosphere.
One such post includes a video with scenes of destruction and the words, "What really happened in Turkey? A haarp generated earthquake."
But that devastating earthquake wasn't caused by a research project. It was a natural disaster.
"Nobody has the ability to intentionally create a large earthquake with any degree of certainty," Boston University seismologist Rachel Abercrombie told USA Today.
The use of high-frequency radio waves can't induce an earthquake.
"The recent earthquake and tragic loss of life in Turkey highlight the destruction that natural disasters can cause," HAARP program manager Jessica Matthews told USA Today. "The research equipment at the HAARP site cannot create or amplify natural disasters."
Chiefs are still Super Bowl champs
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 Feb. 12 in Super Bowl 57.
A Twitter post that was liked more than 11,000 times claims the game is under review.
"#BREAKING: Chiefs Super Bowl legitimacy put on hold as NFL plans to launch an investigation on possible (performance-enhancing drug) use by Patrick Mahomes during halftime," the tweet read. "Sources confirm his rapid postgame drug test came back POSITIVE and if guilty the Chiefs could be stripped of the win."
But that claim is "absolutely false," NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told The Associated Press. A number of players are tested after each game, but Chief's quarterback Patrick Mahomes wasn't selected for testing.
The original tweet, which was shared more than 3,000 times, came from an account that has posted seemingly satirical sports headlines in the past, the AP said.
Only rocks have been found on Mars
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, launched the Curiosity Rover in 2011, which landed on Mars nearly a year later. The Rover has sent back more than 500,000 images of Mars.
An image that appears to be from that collection was posted on Facebook with the text, "NASA Curiosity finds Nazi helmet on Mars ... We've Read Stories About Nazi UFO Technology And Some People Have Even Claimed Nazis Have Been On The Moon Since The Late 1940'S"
The image with the post shows a rounded item among the rocks. The post also includes a photo of a rusty helmet, which bears a resemblance to the rounded item in the other photo.
But there have been no reports of helmets on Mars. It's not unusual to see recognizable items in the various shapes of the rocks, PolitiFactnotes. NASA has a website that highlights rocks that look like familiar items.
"This happens because our brains often try to see shapes that are familiar, something we can relate to. It happens with clouds, rocks, celestial bodies," according to a statement on the NASA website.
• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.