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☆ Fact Check-Bud Light did not erect a ‘lol CRYBABIES’ billboard
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bud Light did not erect a billboard that reads: “lol CRYBABIES.” The clip appears to stem from a TikTok video account that creates digitally edited video clips. The marketing company that currently operates the billboard at that location also told Reuters that the present advertiser is Disney Plus. The clip appears to show a blue and white billboard advertising Bud Light with the words “lol CRYBABIES” emblazoned across the sign. A spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch, the beverage’s parent company, told Reuters that no such billboard was produced by Bud Light or Anheuser-Busch. Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch told Reuters that no such billboard was produced by the company.

☆ Fact Check-Image seemingly showing recent Julian Assange photograph in prison is AI-generated
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An image purporting to show a leaked photograph of WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange in prison is generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Users shared the image seemingly showing a close-up photograph of Assange with his eyes closed and wearing a sullied off-white cloth, with some claiming that it shows a legitimate leaked image of Assange in prison. One tweet sharing the image read, “A latest picture of Julian Assange! In a comment to Reuters, the individual who created the image (@TheErrantFriend) said that he created the image “to evoke a visceral response” to Assange’s imprisonment. This image of Assange is AI-generated.

☆ Fact Check-Document mentioning cryogenic-electron microscopy does not prove Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine contains graphene oxide
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Graphene oxide is not an ingredient in the vaccine,” she said. When contacted by Reuters, a Pfizer spokesperson sent a link with the full list of ingredients of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (here, see page six). No graphene oxide is listed. “We confirm that graphene oxide is not used in the manufacture of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine,” the spokesperson said. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine does not contain graphene oxide.

☆ Fact Check-Local news station WSMV tweet quoting father of Nashville school shooting victim was fabricated
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A purported tweet by Nashville local news station WSMV supposedly quoting transphobic remarks made by the father of one of the Nashville school shooting victims has been fabricated. The NBC-affiliated television station told Reuters the tweet is fake. “The tweet you are referencing is fake and was never sent or shared by WSMV or any WSMV social media account. On March 27, Reuters reported that a heavily armed 28-year-old fatally shot three children and three adult staffers at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee. He said the suspect identified as transgender but provided no further clarity.

☆ Fact Check-Image of Elon Musk and Mary Barra holding hands is AI-generated
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image appearing to show the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, and the CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra, holding hands is not authentic and was created by artificial intelligence. The image seemingly shows Musk dressed in a black denim jacket and wearing a black tie holding hands with Barra who is wearing a black leather jacket. Lovett told Reuters that he created the image via the website Midjourney – an AI-image generator that creates images via text prompts. “In the case of the Elon Musk image with Mary Barra, it tends to give them similar facial structures and almost melds them together in a way that makes them appear as though they were siblings.”VERDICTMissing context. The image was created via the AI-generating website, Midjourney, the creator of the image told Reuters.

☆ Fact Check-Photo of room with transgender, pride and NATO flags falsely linked to Nashville shooter
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An iteration on Twitter with the miscaptioned photo garnered over 1,220 retweets at the time of writing (here). Reuters found the image was posted on Twitter on Dec. 16, 2021 alongside another photo that appears to show the same room (ibb.co/X46G7kk). The Twitter user, who asked not to be identified for their privacy and safety, told Reuters the image depicted their bedroom. Reuters addressed other posts misidentifying the alleged Nashville school shooter (here). This photograph does not depict the room of the Nashville school shooting suspect.

☆ Fact Check-Video showing Trump supporters near Trump Tower in New York is from Oct. 2020
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

“Americans begin to show up at Trump Tower in New York City in support of President Donald J. Trump ahead of his potential arrest,” reads one post on Facebook(here). However, the clip circulating with claims that supporters demonstrated near Trump Tower in 2023 has been online since at least December 2022 on TikTok (here). Reuters coverage shows Trump supporters rallying at Mar-A-Lago on March 20 following Trump’s Truth Social post (here). The Daily Mail reported on March 20 that a small group of protestors had gathered outside the Trump Tower in Manhattan to back Trump ahead of a possible arrest (here). The video is from 2020 and does not show Trump supporters protesting close to Trump Tower in March 2023.

☆ Fact Check-Clip of Musk on reinstating Andrew Tate’s Twitter account is altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A clip purporting to show Twitter CEO Elon Musk talking about social media personality Andrew Tate’s reinstatement on Twitter has been altered from 2022 footage of Musk discussing a different topic. The clip circulating online seemingly shows Musk saying: “People ask me why I unblocked Andrew Tate from Twitter. Reuters also did not find any credible media reporting that Musk discussed Andrew Tate at the 2022 TED Talk (archive.is/wip/8I6Iw). A close comparison between frames of the altered clip online and this segment of the TED Talk can be seen (04s on altered clip compared to 13.08s on TED Talk ibb.co/3MrH71t) and (14s on altered clip compared to 13.15s: ibb.co/B3n7VKZ). The original video shows Musk discussing his intention to open-source the Twitter algorithm, not reinstating Andrew Tate’s Twitter account.

☆ Fact Check-Arma 3 gameplay falsely captioned as downed helicopter in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Computer game footage of a downed helicopter has been falsely captioned on social media as showing authentic footage from the frontlines in Ukraine. Users shared the clip via social media falsely claiming that it showed downed NATO helicopters inside Ukraine. Examples of the clip erroneously shared online can be viewed (here) and (here). A side-by-side comparison between the YouTube video (L) (timestamp: 39s) and the clip circulating online (R) (timestamp: 25s) can be viewed (ibb.co/rm4F4Gg). Reuters has previously addressed miscaptioned clips shared online purporting to show footage from the war in Ukraine (here), (here).

☆ Fact Check-Images of ‘spaceship’ in Antarctica were created by a digital artist
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Two digitally created images depicting a flying saucer covered in snow have been shared on social media alongside claims they are “leaked” photographs of a spaceship found in Antarctica circa “1945-1950.”Examples are viewable on Twitter (here) and Instagram (here) . Reuters, however, found higher-resolution versions of the images in Facebook groups dedicated to showcasing digital artworks (here) (here) . User Zach Heishman, who posted the content to the Facebook groups AI Art Universe and AI Generated Art, has described himself as the creator of the images (ibb.co/cyxYGvJ). These images were digitally created, they are not authentic historic photographs of a spaceship found in Antarctica. Update Feb. 28, 2023: Replacing paragraph 5 to include response from digital artistThis article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

☆ Fact Check-Disney will not replace Mickey Mouse as its official mascot, contrary to online claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Its “about us” page partly reads as follows: “Mouse Trap News is the world’s best satire site. Mouse Trap News also posted these claims on TikTok (bit.ly/3Zerios), Instagram (bit.ly/3XNpIbW), Twitter (bit.ly/3ZgkSFp) and Facebook (bit.ly/3Sm54hT). Several media outlets (here), (here), (here) have reported that Steamboat Willie, the short film that introduced Mickey Mouse in 1928, will enter the public domain in 2024. Additionally, Disney has not made a statement about replacing Mickey Mouse (thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/). Claims that Disney will replace Mickey Mouse as its official mascot stem from a satire website.

☆ Fact Check-Video showing thick dark clouds predates February 2023 train derailment in Ohio
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video which has been circulating online since at least November 2022 has been shared to falsely claim it shows the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern Railroad-operated train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023. This is Ohio's Chernobyl,” states a tweet sharing a video of a dark, ominous cloud (here). The TikTok user did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Reuters found the spot the video was most likely filmed from on Google Street View (bit.ly/3XIrU4h). The video does not show the sky over Ohio following the Feb. 3 train derailment, it dates to at least November 2022.

☆ Fact Check-Photos of Pope Francis wearing colorful cross misrepresented in video
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Photos of Pope Francis wearing the Latin American Youth Ministry cross in 2018 have been misrepresented online, with some users incorrectly linking the colours to the pride flag used to show support for LGBTQ+ people. A second tweet from the news outlet details that the colorful cross is the Latin American Youth Ministry cross (here), and each of its colors represent different countries in Latin America. Further information about the symbol and its colors can be found on the website of the Latin American Youth Ministry (here) (here). On Feb. 5, Pope Francis said laws criminalizing LGBT people were sinful and an injustice (here). Photos show Pope Francis wearing the Latin American Youth Ministry cross.

☆ Fact Check-Videogame clip of plane shooting down object fooling social media users
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A clip from the video game Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) has been miscaptioned by social media users who claim it shows an unidentified object being shot down. A reverse image search revealed the clip was first posted on TikTok by user @WinderShot (here). The caption mentions “Digital Combat Simulator World” and uses the hashtags #dcs and #dcsworld. Norm Loewen, associate producer at the company, told Reuters the clip shared online was from the video game. User @WinderShot did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence linking clouds to earthquakes, contrary to claims following Turkey-Syria quake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Experts contacted by Reuters dismissed claims shared online conflating the events that occurred weeks apart and emphasized that there is no evidence linking cloud formations to quakes. “Lenticular clouds form from a natural interaction of the air with mountains,” Mark Wysocki, senior lecturer in Cornell University’s Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department, told Reuters by email. A diagram illustrating this process provided by Wysocki is viewable (ibb.co/PmKM019)“And earthquakes form from the natural movement of the Earth’s crust. Experts contacted by Reuters say there is no evidence linking clouds to earthquakes. The science behind the formation of lens-like-shaped clouds, or lenticular clouds, has been documented.

☆ Fact Check-Video clip of flock of birds flying above motorway was filmed in Texas U.S., pre-dates Turkey earthquakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video clip showing a flock of birds flying over a motorway was not filmed moments before deadly earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6. The clip was filmed in low light from a vehicle and shows a flock of birds flying above a motorway, with social media users falsely claiming that it was filmed in Turkey shortly before the two earthquakes hit. The clip is not recent, nor was it filmed in Turkey. The clip was filmed on a motorway in Houston, Texas. The video clip was filmed on a motorway in Texas, United States, in January 2017.

☆ Fact Check-Years-old video of tidal wave in South Africa wrongly linked to 2023 Turkey earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video showing waves lashing a beach in Durban, South Africa has been online since at least 2017. The clip has been miscaptioned online as if showing a tsunami in Turkey, following the devastating earthquake that struck the country on Feb. 6. Reuters geolocated the footage to South Beach, Durban, near a water park (goo.gl/maps/KQEspMDu21GyBLm68). Misinformation is often circulated online following catastrophic events. The video shows a heavy tidal wave on a beach in Durban, South Africa, and dates to 2017.

☆ Fact Check-Clip shows Beirut port explosion, not blast in Turkey after Feb 6 earthquakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Social media users have shared a clip of the 2020 Beirut port explosion and falsely claimed that it depicts an explosion in Turkey after two powerful earthquakes that struck central Turkey and northwest Syria on Feb. 6. The miscaptioned video shows the moment of a massive explosion at a facility in Beirut’s port in August 2020 that housed over 2,700 tones of ammonium nitrate (here). An example of the miscaptioned Beirut clip shared online can be viewed (here), archived (archive.is/GTEzh). Reuters geolocated the footage to a building near the Beirut port (approximately 33.8980685, 35.507933) (ibb.co/BzsXL9G), (archive.is/wip/GA8lF). The clip shows the moment a warehouse exploded in Beirut port in August 2020.

☆ Fact Check-Clip of wooden cabin being swept away pre-dates Turkey-Syria earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A clip of a red wooden cabin being swept away by a storm surge was not filmed following two powerful earthquakes that struck Turkey and northwest Syria on Feb. 6. The clip was filmed in Greenland and shows a tsunami that hit a village in June 2017. Examples of the clip being shared as if it showed the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Turkey on Monday can be viewed (here) and (here). A 7.8 magnitude quake first hit Turkey and northwest Syria before sunrise, followed by a 7.7 magnitude quake in the afternoon (here). The clip was filmed in a village in Greenland and was uploaded to YouTube in April 2021.

☆ Fact Check-Clip of tanks transported by railway was filmed in Kansas, not Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video of tanks being carried by railway in a snowy landscape was recorded in central Kansas. Reuters could not independently confirm when the footage was recorded, but it does not depict tanks in Poland. The Jan. 26 post’s description states the clip was filmed on Jan. 24 in Kansas, “approximately one mile west of Gorham on Highway 40”. The user also shared another clip further showing a line of tanks in what appears to be the same road (here). This clip was filmed in Kansas, not Poland, and has been described in media reports as filmed on Jan. 24, 2023.

☆ Fact Check-Footage of tanks at a German train station has been online since at least April 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Following reports on January 25 that Germany would supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, posts on social media recirculated a months-old clip of tanks at a German train station and inaccurately said it showed the tanks being sent to Ukraine. According to the report, Defense Minister Boris Pistorious said that Germany’s tanks would probably be ready in three to four months. The video showing tanks lined up at train station, however, dates back to at least April 2022. Back in April 2022, German outlets reported on König’s clarification of the clip (archive.is/EfKbT), (here). This clip showing tanks at a trains station in Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany, dates back to April 2022.

☆ Fact Check-Clip of hundreds of birds flying above a motorway filmed in Texas, not Ukraine in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A clip dating to at least as far back as 2017 showing hundreds of birds flying above a motorway was not filmed in Kyiv, Ukraine, in January 2023. One individual shared the clip filmed from a vehicle showing the flock flying above a motorway, with a caption that reads: “WATCH Huge ‘murder’ of crows reportedly spotted flying over #Kiev, #Ukraine The end of times" (here), (here). The clip is not recent, nor was it filmed in Kyiv, Ukraine. According to the media reports, the clip was filmed on a motorway in Houston, Texas. The clip was widely published by media outlets in January 2017 and was filmed on a motorway in Houston, Texas.

☆ Fact Check-Clip of 2021 military plane accident near Kubinka, Russia falsely attributed to Nepal crash in January 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A clip that featured in news reports of a military plane crash near Kubinka, Russia in August 2021 has been erroneously shared by users online saying it depicts an airplane crash in Nepal on Jan. 15. A reverse image search reveals that the clip featured in news reports of a military plane crash that occurred near the Kubinka airfield outside Moscow in August 2021 (here), (here), (here). Multiple geolocation factors confirm the clip was filmed near Kubinka. Given these angles, the video was likely filmed from an apartment block near Kubinka (55.602243, 36.694633), (archive.is/wip/gQ42t). The clip was featured in August 2021 news reports of a military plane crash near Kubinka airfield, Russia.

☆ Fact Check-Facebook post falsely linked to Lisa Marie Presley after star’s death
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A screenshot of a social media post discussing COVID-19 vaccination is circulating alongside false suggestions it was authored by Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the late Elvis, who died on Thursday. Lisa Marie Presley’s death prompted baseless assertions on social media that the event was linked to COVID-19 vaccination (here). The COVID-19 vaccines are free, even if you don’t have health insurance or aren’t a U.S. citizen,” the post says. These words were not published by Lisa Marie Presley, however, but by a blogger’s page named “Lisa Marie” (ibb.co/TkQBzF2). The screenshot circulating does not show a post from Lisa Marie Presley.

☆ Fact Check-Behind-the-scenes filming of Brazilian TV show miscaptioned following capture of Ovidio Guzmán in Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The clip opens with a group of three people slowly advancing down an ally, hunched over, and appearing to hold firearms. A further two people can subsequently be seen hunched around a corner, shooting toward the first group. Instead, it shows behind-the-scenes footage from a Brazilian TV show, Arcanjo Renegado, which was released in 2020 via the platform Globoplay (the streaming service owned by the Grupo Globo conglomerate). Reuters previously addressed another miscaptioned behind-the-scenes video of Arcanjo Renegado which can be seen here: (here). The clip shows behind-the-scenes filming of the Brazilian TV series, Arcanjo Renegado.

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