A misleading headline from a partisan website spurred false viral claims that Congress voted to give itself a 21% raise. But that’s not true. Let’s take a look at the facts.
NewsLit takeaway
Complex pieces of legislation contain details that can easily be misrepresented and used to stir outrage by tapping into widespread concerns about government waste and corruption. In this case, a highly misleading headline published by the far-right website FrontPage Magazine sparked angry reactions and viral sharing across social media and was picked up by other conservative publications.
- “Did Congress ‘Give Itself a 21% Raise’ in 2022?” (Dan MacGuill, Snopes).
- “Congress members didn’t boost own salaries in March 2022” (Ali Swenson, The Associated Press).
- “Spending Bill Includes Pay Raise for Staffers, Not Members of Congress” (Brea Jones, FactCheck.org).
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