No, an Iranian 'Mothership' Isn't Attacking New Jersey With UFOs
The wave of drone sightings is sparking sci-fi speculation mixed with war fever.
Urban Legends
The Story About THC-Laced Halloween Candy Shifts From Malevolent Strangers to Careless Parents
The change in official warnings and news coverage reflects the dearth of evidence that malicious pranksters are trying to dose trick-or-treaters.
J.D. Vance Promoted Rumors of Pet-Eating Immigrants Even After Learning They Were 'Baseless'
To justify his misinformation, the Republican vice presidential candidate cited a report from a woman whose lost cat turned up, very much alive, in her own basement.
Why Do They Keep Shooting at Donald Trump?
Plus: A listener asks the editors to ponder which election was the most important one in their lifetimes.
J.D. Vance Says It Does Not Matter Whether 'Rumors' of Pet-Eating Migrants Are True
Donald Trump's running mate says he is willing to "create stories" if they help call attention to the costs of lax immigration policies.
Trump Repeats an 'Urban Legend' by Invoking 'Fentanyl Laced Marijuana'
At least he draws the right conclusion from this imaginary hazard, acknowledging the dangers created by prohibition.
Cops and Reporters Are Still Hyping the Halloween Threat Posed by Strangers With Cannabis Candy
A 2022 Canadian case involving what looks like a stoned mistake seems to be the closest real-world example of this purported danger.
Despite Debunking, Rainbow Fentanyl Myths Continue
Just as there are adult reasons for vape companies to sell flavored vape pods, there are adult reasons for drug dealers to color their fentanyl.
Undeterred by Pushback, Cops and Journalists Are Still Warning Parents About THC-Laced Halloween Candy
The unsubstantiated threat that strangers with cannabis candy allegedly pose to trick-or-treaters is an urban legend that never dies.
For the Umpteenth Time, No One Wants To Give Your Kid Rainbow Fentanyl
Myths about drug-laced Halloween candy just won't go away—no matter how stupid they become.
Undeterred by Past Failures, the Press Goes All in on 'Rainbow Fentanyl' Panic
Even though no one's trying to give your kid rainbow fentanyl this Halloween, it hasn't stopped journalists from repeating the myth.
No, Schools Aren't Accommodating Students Who Identify as Animals
Plus: Biden wants to ramp up military and law enforcement spending, study challenges conventional wisdom about social media misinformation, and more...
The Vain Search for Marijuana in Trick-or-Treat Bags
Police are still pushing this discredited scare, but it seems fewer people are falling for it.
News Outlets Are Increasingly Skeptical of Warnings About Marijuana Edibles in Trick-or-Treat Bags
Although the Halloween scare stories continue, journalists are starting to recognize the lack of evidence to support this mythical menace.
How Fox's 1997 Sunday Night Lineup Ate the Universe
Our reality is now Fox Mulder, Dale Gribble, Chief Wiggum, and a home movie of a guy getting hit in the groin.
The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of the 'Outside Agitator' Story
The perpetual scapegoat for unrest
When an Epidemic Spreads, So Do Rumors
The biggest thing our institutions could do to stop the spread of COVID-19 misinformation would be to spread less misinformation themselves.
Kellyanne Conway Pushes Debunked Myth About Fentanyl-Laced Weed
And no, teens aren't popping random pills at "Skittles parties" either.
Knock It Off, Lazy News Outlets. 'Momo' Isn't Telling Kids To Hurt Themselves.
When absurd ghost stories are passed off as actual journalism
The Year's Best Drug Scares
Killer weed redux, pimple-faced potheads, vapin' in the boys room, Halloween high horror, and a crazy kratom crackdown
Sheriff Admits He Issued a False Alarm About THC-Tainted Halloween Treats
He still implies that strangers with candy are trying to get kids high.
Prohibitionists Say Bogus Candy Scare Proves Legal Pot Endangers Trick-or-Treaters
The Drug Free America Foundation claims an imaginary prank "highlights the very real dangers legal marijuana has on children."
Illinois Sheriff Passes Off Japanese Candy As Marijuana-Infused Halloween Treat
Warnings of pot in trick-or-treat bags still have no basis in reality.
The Great Halloween Clown Purge of 2016
This year's baseless Halloween-mayhem rumor hasn't picked up as much steam as last year's baseless Halloween-mayhem rumor.
Florida Prohibitionists Fight Medical Marijuana With Halloween Legend
Cannabis candy in trick-or-treat bags is "a very real scenario," they warn. It's not.
The Halloween Hoaxes Keep Rolling In
Yet more tales of tampered candy are exposed as frauds.
Another Halloween, Another Crop of Tampered-Treat Hoaxes
Halloween is over. Time for the annual Unraveling of the Tampered-Candy Pranks.
Anarchists! Militias! The War on Cops! Halloween! It's All Connected, Sheeple!
The dubious tale of the "Halloween Revolt"
An Urban Legend Evolves: First Pot, Now MDMA in Trick-or-Treat Bags
There's no evidence anyone has ever passed off marijuana edibles or Molly tablets as Halloween candy.
What If Someone Crossed the Razor-Blades-in-Halloween-Candy Rumor with the Injecting-Babies-with-AIDS Rumor?
Decoding a Vietnamese urban legend
Are People Really Trying to Drug Kids With Marijuana-Laced Halloween Candy?
While media outlets and law enforcement officials warn that pot-infused edibles could end up in kids' treat bags, evidence suggests there's no reason to worry.
North Korea, Gullible Reporters, and a General Theory of Rumors
Kim Jong-Un did not feed his uncle to 120 dogs. Why did so many people believe he did?
Fear of a Skeleton Saint
A form of worship crosses the Mexican border—and so does a moral panic.
