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![Linguist Noam Chomsky is not dead, family says (2) Linguist Noam Chomsky is not dead, family says (2)](https://i0.wp.com/static.politifact.com/CACHE/images/politifact/mugs/threads-logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg)
Threads posts
stated on June 18, 2024 in a post:
Says linguist Noam Chomsky died, as of June 18, 2024.
![Linguist Noam Chomsky is not dead, family says (4) Linguist Noam Chomsky is not dead, family says (4)](https://i0.wp.com/static.politifact.com/politifact/rulings/meter-false.jpg)
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- Threads posts
![Linguist Noam Chomsky is not dead, family says (6) Linguist Noam Chomsky is not dead, family says (6)](https://i0.wp.com/static.politifact.com/CACHE/images/politifact/photos/AP408353128987/c6467c79b3982222a4998134861cb5a3.jpg)
In this Oct. 20, 2012, file photo activist Noam Chomsky stands during a press conference to support the Gaza-bound flotilla in the port of Gaza City. (AP)
By Kwasi Gyamfi AsieduJune 21, 2024
If Your Time is short
Noam Chomsky’s wife, Valeria Wasserman Chomsky, told The Associated Press the linguist was alive.
See the sources for this fact-check
Viral social media posts claimed famed linguistics scholar Noam Chomsky died. But his family said that’s not true.
A June 18 post on Threads said: "RIP Professor Noam Chomsky!! You made this world a better place!!" A different Threads post said: "RIP TO A REAL ONE," featuring Chomsky’s photo.
Similar claims were posted on X.
The Threads posts were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Threads, and Instagram.)
Chomsky’s wife, Valeria Wasserman Chomsky, told The Associated Press and Agence France-Press on June 18 that the reports were "false." She also told ABC News journalist Chris Looft, "He is well."
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Instagram posts
stated on May 27, 2024 in an Instagram post
When Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Ukraine recently "he announced that they were going to suspend elections in Ukraine."
![Linguist Noam Chomsky is not dead, family says (11) Linguist Noam Chomsky is not dead, family says (11)](https://i0.wp.com/static.politifact.com/politifact/rulings/meter-false.jpg)
Noam Chomsky, 95, was discharged from a Sao Paulo hospital on June 18 where he was receiving treatment for a 2023 stroke, hospital administrators said in a statement published by Brazilian media.
Jacobin Magazine and The New Statesman, two outlets where Chomsky has published articles, reported that he died. The outlets have since removed their obituaries of him. An article celebrating Chomsky’s life and work is live on Jacobin’s website with a correction appended: "This article was tagged as an obituary following erroneous reports of Noam Chomsky’s death." The New Statesman acknowledged the error and apologized to the Chomsky family and former Greece finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, whose writing the magazine had used in its obituary.
Chomsky’s official Facebook page had no new update on his condition as of June 21. PolitiFact contacted a correspondence email listed on Chomsky’s website but did not receive a response. The University of Arizona, where Chomsky is a laureate professor of linguistics, has also not published news about his death.
We rate the claim that Chomsky died False.
Read About Our Process
The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter
Our Sources
Threads post (archived link), Jun. 18, 2024
Threads post (archived link), Jun. 18, 2024
The Associated Press, Noam Chomsky’s wife says reports of famed linguist’s death are false, Jun. 18, 2024
Agence France-Presse, Noam Chomsky discharged from Sao Paolo hospital, Jun. 18, 2024
Brasil de Fato, After rumors about death, Noam Chomsky is discharged from hospital in Brazil, Jun. 19, 2024
Facebook, Noam Chomsky, accessed Jun. 21, 2024
The Associated Press, Linguist and activist Noam Chomsky hospitalized in his wife’s native country of Brazil after stroke, Jun. 11, 2024
Folha de S.Paulo, Noam Chomsky suffered a stroke in 2023 and is recovering in Brazil, Jun. 11, 2024
Common Dreams, 'Manufacturing obituaries': media falsely reports Noam Chomsky's death, Jun. 18, 2024
CBC News, Noam Chomsky told us to question the media. This week, the media reported he had died, Jun. 19, 2024
Jacobin magazine, Let’s celebrate Noam Chomsky, the intellectual and moral giant, Jun. 18, 2024
The New Statesman, Noam Chomsky, accessed Jun. 20, 2024
The New Statesman, (archived link), accessed Jun. 20, 2024
Jacobin magazine, (archived link), accessed Jun. 21, 2024
X post, Yanis Varoufakis (archived link), Jun. 18, 2024
The Times of India, Noam Chomsky for beginners: What you ought to know about world’s greatest living intellectual, Jun. 19, 2024
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
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Threads posts
stated on June 18, 2024 in a post:
Says linguist Noam Chomsky died, as of June 18, 2024.
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Facebook posts
stated on June 18, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook:
"Fotografía tomada en el 2496 A.C. durante la construcción de las pirámides en Egipto”.
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Facebook posts
stated on June 12, 2024 in a photo:
“Photo shows Egyptian pyramids being constructed in 2549 BC”
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Instagram posts
stated on June 14, 2024 in a photo:
“The Biden campaign has demanded that Joe Biden not have to stand during the presidential debate.”
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Instagram posts
stated on June 8, 2024 in a video:
“Biden's sister is married to Stephen Owens, who owns Dominion Voting Systems.”
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Facebook posts
stated on May 20, 2024 in a post:
“Every American over 25 is now entitled to get a prepaid reward card up to $500 to use for groceries and everyday expenses.”
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Instagram posts
stated on May 25, 2024 in a photo:
Noncitizens in Washington, D.C., “can vote in federal elections.”
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Facebook posts
stated on May 20, 2024 in a video:
Footage “shows a completely flat horizon proving the flat Earth and completely destroying the globe theory.”
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X posts
stated on May 20, 2024 in a post:
Photos show bodies of people who died in the helicopter crash with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
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Benny Johnson
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Facebook posts
stated on May 11, 2024 in a video:
“They are hiding the fact that Barbara O’Neill’s cousin was sentenced to life in prison for revealing these gatekept health secrets.”
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Facebook posts
stated on May 5, 2024 in a post:
Viral images show Lady Gaga at the 2024 Met Gala.
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Sean Hannity
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Threads posts
stated on April 20, 2024 in a post:
CNN reported “Trump soils himself in court.”
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Facebook posts
stated on April 16, 2024 in a post:
John Mellencamp was “booed off stage for praising Joe Biden.”
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Claims that linguist Noam Chomsky is dead are not true, family says
Viral image
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Threads posts
stated on June 19, 2024 in a post:
“Caitlin Clark has officially joined the Canadian women's Olympic team.”
Facebook posts
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Threads posts
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Threads posts
stated on June 15, 2024 in a Facebook post:
Caitlin Clark has been named to the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team after Brittney Griner was released for “undisclosed reasons.”
Instagram posts
stated on June 16, 2024 in an Instagram post:
California Assembly Bill 1955 “would allow schools to secretly, socially and perhaps medically transition your child without your knowledge and consent."
Ritchie Torres
stated on May 23, 2024 in a television interview:
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Viral image
stated on June 19, 2024 in an Instagram post:
Video shows a man interrupting White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on “The View.”
Joe Biden
stated on April 4, 2024 in a post on TikTok:
Donald Trump’s plan is “cutting Social Security for you.”
Threads posts
stated on June 18, 2024 in a post:
Says linguist Noam Chomsky died, as of June 18, 2024.
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