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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Did a military tribunal find Tom Hanks guilty of pedophilia and child endangerment, and then execute him?

By Marlo Lee
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NO

An article on the site Real Raw News made the claim that Hanks was convicted and executed, but a Pentagon spokesperson told Lead Stories the claim was "completely false."

In fact, the "About Us" page for Real Raw News has a disclaimer that clearly states (with boldface words as they appear on the site): "Information on this website is for informational and educational and entertainment purposes. This website contains humor, parody, and satire."

In other words, the story is not based on facts, by the site's own admission.

Still, that does not stop social media users from sharing such articles without the disclaimer of humor or satire, passing the fictional writings off as real news.

Lead Stories has debunked several stories from Real Raw News involving such figures as Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and James Comey.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Lead Stories Fact Check: Bill Clinton Is NOT Facing A Military Tribunal At Guantanamo Bay
Lead Stories Fact Check: Hillary Clinton Was NOT Hanged At Gitmo
Lead Stories Fact Check: Military Did NOT Arrest James Comey
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.