Facts Matter: Taylor Swift search suspension not political
A recent post claims the social media platform X blocked any searches of Taylor Swift because there’s a photo on the site that gives away the singer’s political preferences.
“BREAKING: Elon Musk is stopping individuals from searching ‘Taylor Swift’ out of fear they will find this pro-Biden image of her. Retweet to get the word out that Taylor is a Biden voter,” reads a Jan. 29 post on X, which includes a photo of Swift holding a tray of cookies decorated with the words “Biden/Harris 2020.”
It’s no secret that Swift has supported President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and X did block users from searching Swift’s name, but these two items are not related, according to PolitiFact.
Officials at X instituted a restriction on searches of “Swift” because some fake, sexually explicit photos of Swift, which were generated using artificial intelligence, or AI, had been circulating on the platform over a few days. An executive from X said the site was blocking the search to keep the images from spreading.
“This is a temporary action and done with an abundance of caution as we prioritize safety on this issue,” Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X, told TIME magazine.
The photo of Swift holding cookies actually was posted by her, on her social media accounts before the 2020 presidential election.
“I spoke to @vmagazine about why I’ll be voting for Joe Biden for president,” Swift wrote in an Oct. 7, 2020, post on X. “So apt that it’s come out on the night of the VP debate. Gonna be watching and supporting @KamalaHarris by yelling at the tv a lot. And I also have custom cookies (cookie emoji, flexed biceps emoji, face blowing a kiss emoji).”
Trump didn’t post about attorney
Former President Donald Trump, last month, was ordered to pay writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in a civil case in which she claimed he defamed her after raping her.
Following the decision, a screen shot circulated on social media, showing what appeared to be a Truth Social post by Trump saying he had lost confidence in his attorney Alina Habba.
“Alina may have lost the case. She may not have the experience that was needed in this very high profile case, probably higher profile than she ever thought she would be involved in at this point. Maybe next time I’ll choose a law firm and lawyer that has some more practical experience in high ticket litigation,” the Jan. 29 post read. The screenshot included Trump’s official handle, @realDonaldTrump.
But there is no evidence this post came from the former president, according to Reuters.
The statement supposedly from Trump doesn’t appear on his official website. There is no record of the comment being posted to his Truth Social account nor does it appear in the archives of his account.
Disease X is hypothetical condition
During the World Economic Forum’s 2024 annual meeting held in Switzerland, healthcare experts spoke on a panel titled, “Preparing for Disease X.”
Before the recent event, social media users were dispensing information about Disease X.
“Disease X is the mystery contagion that the World Economic Forum is having a meeting about TODAY! Apparently it ‘could have 20 times more fatalities than COVID.’ Remember… they always tell us what’s coming,” read an Instagram post.
But Disease X isn’t real, according to the Associated Press. It’s the name scientists have used for a hypothetical pathogen since the World Health Organization coined the term in 2018.
The organization uses the hypothetical disease in planning for future health crises, and determining how to develop and prepare for the vaccines and tests required for treatment.
Oat milk not the same as Coke
In a video posted Jan. 22 to Instagram, a man claims oat milk has similar nutritional value to Coca-Cola.
“Oat milk, OK, that is the biggest scam on the planet right now. It raises your blood sugar as much as drinking a Coke,” author Dave Asprey says in the clip.
But this claim is misleading, according to PolitiFact.
A can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar while an 8-ounce serving of some popular brands of oat milk contain 4-7 grams of sugar. However, maltose, the type of sugar in oat milk, has a higher glycemic index in oat milk than the index in a serving of Coke.
Other contents, such as protein and fat, also affect blood sugar. An 8-ounce cup of oat milk contains 3 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein and 5.5 grams of fat. A 12-ounce can of Coke has zero grams of each.
• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com