Facts Matter: Nothing fake about Colorado shooting that left 10 dead

A gunman, wielding an AR-15-style weapon, walked into a grocery store at approximately 2:30 p.m. March 22 in Boulder, Colorado, and killed 10 people. Among the victims, aged 20 to 65 years old, was a police officer who was a first responder at the scene.

Yet, the tragic event didn't stop social media users from immediately spreading false information about the shooting, according to USA Today.

"False flag like most of the others. Don't doubt me on this," read one Facebook post that went online at 6:10 that evening. That account has nearly 60,000 followers.

But the shooting was very real.

Boulder police issued an alert telling people to avoid the area at 3:52 p.m., and a livestreamed video posted on YouTube shows bodies on the ground as shots can be heard in the background.

According to Boulder police, a 21-year-old man has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. The suspect made his first appearance in court Thursday where the judge ordered him held without bail.

Biden video is authentic

President Joe Biden recently stopped to talk to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One for a trip to Pennsylvania. But some social media users claim the event was staged and the president was actually standing in front of a green screen.

A YouTube video, with more than 370,000 views, claims, "Biden Fakes Interview, Green Screen Fails." And a post on Twitter pointed to "Biden's hands and the reporter's fuzzy microphones."

The impromptu news conference, covered by many media outlets, did take place March 17. A microphone in the social media video is blurry and it appears Biden is putting his hand through the mic. But in a high-resolution version, taken by a White House pool videographer, the image is clear.

University of California, Berkeley professor Hany Farid told the Associated Press the video wasn't manipulated.

"In this higher-resolution version, I see where the strange movement of the one mic comes from, but I think all that is happening is the mic is coming from below and President Biden reaches over it," he said.

Farid said there were similar postings about President Donald Trump using false video, supposedly filmed in front of a green screen.

"This silly claim seems to be bipartisan," he said.

Border not 'open to anyone'

A huge increase of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border led President Joe Biden to put Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of dealing with the crisis.

In a recent segment on Fox News, host Jeanine Pirro said the Biden administration has surrendered the southern border.

"It is now open to anyone from anywhere in the world who wishes to enter our country, leaving one to wonder whether America is a sovereign nation anymore or a simple globalist landing spot," she said.

But Pirro is incorrect.

"That claim is patently absurd," Nicole Hallett, associate clinical professor of law and the director of the Immigrants' Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago, told PolitiFact.

In February, border patrol immediately expelled 72% of those trying to enter the U.S. under a section of a 2020 federal law, invoked by President Donald Trump, used to stem the spread of COVID-19.

"The border is not open, and the vast majority of people are being returned under Title 42," U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement about that law.

An exception is unaccompanied children, who are not being expelled by the Biden administration.

OK to scream on coasters

A recent social media post claims Disneyland has banned roller coaster riders from screaming.

One post shows bulleted points in what appears to be a local newscast, stating, "New 'no scream' policy on roller coasters" and "Disneyland enforcing policy."

But this claim is false, and Facebook has flagged the post as misinformation, according to PolitiFact.com.

Disneyland announced this month the park will open April 30 with limited capacity and changes that will follow health guidelines.

The California Attractions and Parks Association, a trade group for amusement parks, issued a "responsible reopening plan" that said attendees should physically distance, wear face masks and "limit activities known to cause increased spread (e.g.: singing, shouting, heavy breathing; loud environments will cause people to raise voice)."

But the plan didn't suggest a ban on screaming.

The group subsequently responded to "confusing reports in the press," tweeting, "At no point has CAPA recommended limiting or prohibiting yelling or screaming on amusement park rides as a way to mitigate transmission of COVID-19."

• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.