If you want a glimpse of modern propaganda at work, you need look no further than the trends that grace the Twitter sidebar.

I started watching them more seriously a few months ago when some of the headlines about COVID-related issues sounded far more certain—or perhaps arrogant is the better word—than it seemed they plausibly should. It felt appropriate to do a bit of fact-checking. What follows are several of the clips I chronicled over these months, along with data demonstrating that, at best, these factual-sounding statements are half-truths or matters of opinion, if not outright propaganda.

Exhibit 1: Masks Prevent the Spread of COVID

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