Facts Matter: George Floyd's autopsy report is not new
Social media posts claim new information was released last month concerning the death of George Floyd, 46, on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis.
"BREAKING NEWS: George Floyd full autopsy released. Says 'no life threatening injuries identified' and reveals high levels of multiple additional toxic drugs on top of the Fentanyl that was initially reported," read one tweet.
"The coroner's report says Floyd died from drugs - not COPS," read another.
But Floyd's actual autopsy report didn't just come out. It was released by the Hennepin County medical examiner's office on June 3, 2020. County spokesperson Carolyn Marinan told the Associated Press, "(The report) has not been amended or changed since it was finalized on June 1, 2020."
The posts include an image showing only Page 2 of the 20-page autopsy report. That page reads, "No life-threatening injuries identified," and includes a list of drugs found in Floyd's system.
Page 1 of the report reads that Floyd suffered "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression."
The report reads he "became unresponsive while being restrained by law enforcement officers," received emergency medical care, "but could not be resuscitated."
Experts have said the drug use noted in the autopsy and the lack of visible injuries doesn't change the conclusion that Floyd was asphyxiated.
John Stiles, deputy chief of staff for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, told the AP the image used is "cherry-picked" from the autopsy report.
"(The image) is a page ripped from the Hennepin County medical examiner's 2020 autopsy" and shows "nothing new," he said.
Fake Turner headline
Singer Tina Turner died May 24 at her home near Zurich, Switzerland. Shortly after her death, a screenshot of a headline that appeared to be published by British newspaper The Guardian showed up on social media.
"As white fans mourn the loss of Tina Turner, black fans need to remind them, she died without receiving reparations," read the headline, which is under The Guardian logo, labeled "opinion," and appears to be written by Shola Mos-Shogbamimu.
But that headline is fake, according to Reuters. The Guardian didn't publish that text.
"We can confirm that the link shared has never been a published Guardian headline or story," a spokesperson for The Guardian told Reuters.
The headline can't be found on The Guardian's webpage or in its archives. The most recent story written by Mos-Shogbamimu that appeared in The Guardian was in 2021.
No robot wife in works
Recent social media posts show a photo of Elon Musk kissing a robot, along with the claim that the billionaire owner of Twitter is creating an artificial wife.
"According to report, Elon Musk and his company are in the final stages of making a Robot Wife. The supply of Robot Wives is expected to roll out in September 2023. They will reach Africa by November 2023," read a May 17 Instagram post.
But neither the photo nor the claim is real.
Musk, during a May shareholders meeting, said his auto company Tesla is working on humanoid robots that can walk and pick up items. But there are no credible reports that the company is developing a robot wife, according to PolitiFact.
The photo of Musk kissing a robot also is fake, created by artificial intelligence.
The owner of the account, named @art_is_2_inspire, that posted the created photos of Musk kissing a robot, has said in hashtags it is "AI art."
That Instagram user shared photos used to create the digitally-generated images with PolitiFact.
Flag video was satire
A video posted to Instagram on May 22 shows American flags flying at Disney World in Florida as a narrator claims things are about to change.
"Disney World is replacing all American flags with the Pride flag," the narrator says. "This is part of the ongoing battle with Gov. DeSantis."
Some commenters seemed upset.
"To take down our flag is a disgrace. I'll never put another penny into this corporation," one wrote.
Apparently they didn't notice it was a joke. The post is "clearly marked as satire," according to USA Today.
The original post came from the Instagram account Mouse Trap News, which bills itself as a satirical page. The page includes the hashtag #fakedisneynews and claims it offers "Real Disney News That is 100% Fake."
The theme park continues to schedule its daily Flag Retreat ceremony for the American flag.
• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.