Did you hear the one about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt? How she learned that the janitor from her old high school – Mr. Reynolds – was still working at age 80, and she raised a bunch of money so he could retire? It’s a heart-warming tale that just might change the way you view this young woman. She’s known for being quite a pistol at the podium – do people still say ‘pistol’? – but the janitor story reveals a much softer, gentler side of Ms. Leavitt.
And surely you saw the story of Erasmus, the scraggly stray dog Pope Francis adopted early in his papacy? The mutt became Francis’ loyal companion, and was there by his side ‘til the very end. I wept big, sloppy tears when I read this story, which is all over the Internet – just like the one about Karoline Leavitt. There are reels, memes, and even full-length articles – complete with photos – detailing each of these narratives. They’re everywhere.
The only problem? They’re completely fake. Not even a grain of truth to either. No Erasmus. No Mr. Reynolds. Those “characters” don’t exist. Karoline Leavitt didn’t go to Jefferson High and Pope Francis didn’t have a dog. Both stories are what you might call “fan fiction” disguised as news.
After doing a search on the Leavitt story – I wanted to know more! – and bringing up a full Google page of headlines about it, I felt a strange, niggling sense that something was off, so I went to Snopes.com. The fact-checking site had completely debunked the story, confirming that it was circulating widely on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. Turns out the same was true of the story about Pope Francis and his dedicated dog.
And there are dozens more where those came from.
But who is behind these fictions posing as features? And why are they doing it? These stories go way beyond the fudged, filtered, still-semi-reality-based stuff we tend to call “fake news.” They’re flat-out fabrications, from stem to stern.
According to Snopes: “Such made-up stories — often featuring inspiring stories about famous people from the worlds of entertainment, politics and sports — drive social media engagement, potentially with the goal of Facebook page managers or YouTube creators one day selling their pages or accounts after earning high follower or subscriber counts. The content also possibly allows for monetization, whether through the ads on a website or directly included with YouTube videos.”
Great! So now we can throw these folks in with all the other spinners, grifters, motivated reasoners, and – lest we forget – our ever-expanding Artificial Intelligentsia.
The challenge of separating truth from lies seems to compound daily, and it’s starting to make me crazy. And the fact that nobody else seems to care is making me even crazier. People seem all too happy to accept what they see “out there” at face value – and share it – as long as they like what they’re seeing.
For instance, consider the popular meme that started going around the day Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV. You’ve probably seen it. It features a photo of the new Holy Father, dressed in his papal finery, with his hand raised in blessing. Beside the photo are the following words:
“To all who sent prayers, love, and hope as I begin this sacred journey – thank you. I accept this role not as a throne, but as a vow: to serve the forgotten, to uplift the broken, to speak plainly where others stay silent. To be called “woke” in a world that sleeps through suffering is no insult – it is Gospel. Woke means awakened by compassion. Guided by truth. Humbled by grace. Committed to justice. Not just for some, but for all. So let them mock. Let them sneer. We will still build the Kingdom – not with walls, but with love. Be awake. Be loving. Be woke.”
After seeing this meme on a hometown friend’s Facebook page – where it had garnered lots of hearts and hugs – every fiber of my being rebelled, my inner voice screaming: Pope Leo did NOT say these words. I don’t believe it. I don’t believe this spirit-filled, peace-seeking man I’ve been reading about started his papacy by trotting out that loaded term “woke” on day one.
But I had no proof. Snopes hadn’t Snoped it. The meme was everywhere and people had gone to their predictable corners; they either loved it or hated it. But nobody seemed to question its authenticity.
Loath to be a Debbie Downer, but obsessed with truth like Ahab with his whale, I commented to my FB friend: “If you can find evidence that these are Pope Leo’s actual words, I’ll be genuinely surprised.”
To which he responded: “Whether he said it or not, it’s a beautiful sentiment.”
Well, okay. We can have that conversation. But “whether he said it or not” matters. The truth actually matters. I will go to my grave insisting that the truth matters… even if it kills me. Heh.
(Incidentally, the meme has now been Snoped. Pure fakery, just as I suspected. And it is still on my friend’s FB page, gathering hearts and hugs. Because… the sentiment.)
Here’s another recent tale from the funhouse hall of mirrors we call social media . . .
A friend posted a video featuring a very manly man rhapsodizing about the great courage of President Donald Trump. He said, “Don’t forget, they tried to take him out,” in reference to the assassination attempt by Thomas Matthew Crooks, back in July. The manly man said, “there’s no way he was a lone gunman. That was the system sending Trump a message.”
The manly man made this declaration casually, as if it were common knowledge, way beyond any need of elaboration or evidence. I assume my friend who posted the video believes this, too, along with all her friends who’d liked and loved it.
While chewing on this revelation – and wondering, once again, who exactly “they” are – I came across another friend’s page, where a lively discussion of that same assassination attempt had been taking place. This post showcased a photo of Trump’s ear, with a caption reading, “Not a single mark or scar.”
Beneath the photo, a group of friends – people I know “in real life” – were discussing their firm belief that the assassination attempt – the one that left Crooks and another man dead – was a “complete hoax,” staged by Trump and his people to help him win the election.
So, one set of friends is certain that “they” – the “Deep State,” I guess? – tried to take Trump out, while another set of friends is just as certain that Trump faked his own assassination attempt in order to gain votes. These are two very different pictures of reality, to understate the obvious. And neither is my understanding of the truth.
Of course, my understanding of the truth plus $4.75 might get you a Double Latte at Starbucks.
I think I’m gonna need something stronger.
