Claim of 400,000 Boy Scouts quitting after name change announcement began as satire | Fact check
The claim: Boy Scouts lost 400,000 members ‘overnight’ after name change
A May 10 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows an image of Boy Scouts saluting alongside a photo of boys and girls wearing a variety of scouting uniforms.
“Boy Scouts Lose 400,000 Members Overnight After ‘Rebranding’ as ‘Scouting America,’” reads text in the image.
The post was shared more than 400 times in five days.
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Our rating: False
A spokesperson for the organization said the claim is false. It originated as satire from a known satirical account, but the post makes no mention of that.
‘Patently false’ claim originated from satire account
The Boy Scouts of America said May 7 it will change its name to Scouting America to reflect an emphasis on inclusion. It takes effect on Feb. 8, 2025, the organization's 115th birthday.
But its membership did not drop by 400,000 members immediately after the switch was announced. The claim in the post is “patently false,” spokesperson Scott Armstrong told USA TODAY.
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The claim originated in a May 9 Facebook post shared by America’s Last Line of Defense, part of a network of satirical accounts and websites. Its bio states that “nothing on this page is real," and Christopher Blair, who operates the account, previously told USA TODAY that “I don’t publish the truth on any of the websites you’ll find on ALLOD.”
The image shown in the Facebook video includes the account’s logo, but there is nothing in the post itself to indicate it is a fabrication. Comments showed most users taking the post's claim as truth.
The Boy Scouts organization counts more than 1 million members between the ages of 5 and 21.
The Facebook post is an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where content originally presented as satire is captured and reposted in a way that makes it appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, which is what happened here.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the claim but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
Scott Armstrong, May 15, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Christopher Blair, Aug. 3, 2023, Email exchange with USA TODAY
America’s Last Line of Defense, May 9, Facebook post
America’s Last Line of Defense, accessed May 15, Facebook page
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boy Scouts didn't lose 400,000 members after name change | Fact check
