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☆ Fact Check-Target ‘satanic clothing’ collection is not real, it’s AI-generated
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Images of children wearing clothing with pentagrams and skulls were created with artificial intelligence (AI) and do not show a real Target collection, as claimed on social media. Some posts referred to conservative backlash to the retailers’ Pride Month collection in May. The images of children in satanic-themed clothing newly circulating, however, are not real photographs. The images were posted on AI imagery groups on Facebook on May 26 (here) (here ). These images do not depict a real Target collection, they were created with artificial intelligence.

Persons: Dan Reese, “, Read Organizations: Target, Facebook, Reuters

☆ Fact Check-Image of a flying porta potty with drones is AI-generated
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image that shows a flying portable toilet powered by drones was generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Many users on social media have taken this image as a joke, others seem to believe that it is a real service. Reuters found no credible media reports of any real flying toilet service by this name ( bit.ly/43ypiJS ). This image of an alleged porta potty service is AI-generated. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts ( here ).

Persons: John Mulloor, “, ”, porta, Read Organizations: Facebook, Reuters Locations: Midjourney, Instagram

☆ Should you check emails on vacation or face a ‘tidal wave’ of messages later? These CEOs have some ideas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Should you check email on vacation or face a tsunami of messages once you're back at the office? An 'email intervention'Robinson launched an "Email Intervention Campaign" earlier this month to deal with issues like "vacation email panic," he told CNBC Travel. "I encounter tons of people who are burned out from email," said work-life speaker and consultant Joe Robinson. Robinson advises companies to create defined email policies, ideally ones which give workers permission not to check email on vacation. Don't respond (if you don't have to) Emails proliferate like rabbits, said Joe Robinson.

☆ Fact Check-Clip shows behind-the-scenes of ‘First Man’ movie, not film crew on Moon
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Footage showing behind-the-scenes during the filming of the 2018 ‘First Man’ movie starring actor Ryan Gosling has been shared with false claims that it shows a film crew on the surface of the Moon. Further footage shows camera operators and film crew capturing the astronaut walking on what appears to be the lunar surface. Some shared the video on social media with suggestions that it showed proof that the lunar landing was a hoax. Examples of the clip shared online can be seen (here) and (here). The clip shows behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of the ‘First Man’ movie starring Ryan Gosling.

☆ Fact Check-No proof Ukraine’s defence ministry tweeted Zelenskiy was ‘naked clown’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A fake screenshot of a Ukrainian Ministry of Defence tweet that criticises Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is being shared online. However, an advanced Twitter search produced no evidence that such a tweet exists on the verified account of Ukraine’s defence ministry (bit.ly/42EgDFv). Media outlets would likely cover the country’s defence ministry posting such strong wording about a prospective president. Reuters also found no evidence of the tweet existing within archived versions of the ministry’s verified Twitter profile (here). Search engines and social media searches produce no proof that Ukraine’s ministry of defence posted the tweet on its verified Twitter account.

☆ Fact Check-Image of Ron DeSantis in burger restaurant captured in May 2020
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An image of Florida governor Ron DeSantis sitting across from former vice president Mike Pence in a burger restaurant was captured in May 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing measures in restaurants were still in place. Some shared the image of Pence sitting across from DeSantis with the false claim that it was captured ahead of former president Donald Trump’s rally in Iowa on May 14 (here). IOWA — Just ahead of Trump’s rally, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence sit down to eat in the same state” (here). DeSantis lifted all remaining COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants in September 2020, months after the image of DeSantis and Pence was captured (here). The image of Pence and DeSantis dates to May 2020.

☆ Fact Check-Image is not authentic George Santos mug shot
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A cropped photograph of U.S. Representative George Santos taken in the Capitol in 2021 has been shared with the false claim that it is a mug shot of the newly-indicted Republican. The original image captured in January 2021 by photographer Tom Williams shows Santos walking down a hallway in the U.S. Capitol Building (here). Attorneys' Offices, Eastern District of New York, told Reuters that no mug shot was released, adding that the release of mug shots is against Department of Justice policy “unless there’s some larger public safety need, like an ongoing manhunt” (bit.ly/41DGRqE). A spokesperson for Santos’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The photograph was taken while Santos was walking down a hallway in the U.S. Capitol Building in January 2021.

☆ Fact Check-Video of people evacuating a beach dates to 2021, not related to Israel-Palestine unrest in May, 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

“Rocket sirens going off in Tel Aviv earlier today. People on the beach running to shelters” read one post sharing the video on Facebook on May 11, 2023 (here). While Reuters could not verify the source of the video, it can be traced back to at least 2021 when it was shared as showing the Tel Aviv beach (here). The video appears to match buildings and constructions on the beach viewable on Google Street View of Aviv Beach (bit.ly/3VZMLB5). Video dates back to 2021 and is unrelated to the escalation of violence in May, 2023 between Israel and Palestine.

☆ An explosive new lawsuit claims TikTok's owner built a 'backdoor' the CCP could exploit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Dan Whateley | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

ByteDance allowed a Chinese Communist Party unit to censor content and access data, a new lawsuit alleges. ByteDance built a "backdoor channel" to enable CCP access to US user data, the suit alleges. An explosive new lawsuit claims TikTok owner ByteDance built a "backdoor channel" in its code that allowed Chinese Communist Party members access to user data hosted in the US. Yu is a former engineering lead for ByteDance in the US who worked at the company between 2017 and 2018. The complaint alleges the "Committee continued to have access" to US user data even after ByteDance walled off access for individual engineers in China.

☆ An explosive new lawsuit claims TikTok's owner built a 'backdoor' that allowed the CCP to access US user data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Dan Whateley | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

☆ Fact Check-Quote ‘children must have sexual partners’ falsely attributed to the UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A quote attributed to the United Nations about children having “sexual partners” is fabricated, and does not appear in guidance on childrens’ sexuality education cited in the false claims. “'Children must have sexual partners’ says United Nations,” reads a poster shared on Twitter that has been viewed more than 779,900 times (here). “CSE is falsely accused of sexualizing children, introducing sexually inappropriate material to young children too early, grooming them for sexual abuse, and promoting homosexuality. Reuters has previously debunked false claims circulating online about the UN advocating decriminalization of sex with children (here). The UN published guidelines on sexuality education for children, but did not say “children must have sexual partners.”This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence Biden administration advisor Neera Tanden tweeted in support of Hitler
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. President Joe Biden’s domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden did not post a tweet crediting Hitler for fighting communism. A White House official said in an email that Neera Tanden did not post this tweet. An advanced Twitter search for tweets from @neeratanden with ‘Hitler’ produced no results (bit.ly/41nkdCt). If the tweet had really been posted and deleted, there would likely be some interaction and response tweets to Tanden still online. There is no evidence Neera Tanden tweeted praising Hitler for fighting communism.

☆ Fact Check-Protest footage predates arrest of former Pakistan PM Imran Khan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Footage of a protest on a central London street predates the arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. The 13-second clip, which dates to at least April 2022, has been falsely presented as showing demonstrations in the British capital in May 2023 against Khan’s arrest in Pakistan. They’re kicking off at the arrest of the country’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan.”Similar posts can be seen on Facebook (here) and Twitter (here). Longer versions of the circulating clip can be seen in tweets from April 17, 2022 (here and here), which describe the scenes as relating to separate protests against another former Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif. The video shows a protest in London taking place more than a year before former Prime Minister Khan’s arrest.

☆ Fact Check-Five Donald Trump statements examined after CNN town hall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Former U.S. President Donald Trump took questions from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and audience members during a televised town hall on Wednesday, with the 2024 Republican front-runner pressing for a second White House term. Trump received 74.2 million votes in the 2020 presidential election, surpassing former President Barack Obama’s record number of votes for an incumbent candidate. State governments, courts and members of Trump’s administration have repeatedly rejected claims made by the former president that the 2020 election was stolen (here). CLAIM“We were energy independent” during the Trump administration. For more details on the U.S. border wall during the Trump administration, see (here).

☆ Fact Check-Video of migrants rushing back to Ciudad Juárez at border dates to at least March 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The at least two-month-old video is recirculating as the United States is preparing to end a COVID-19 border restriction known as Title 42. The video circulating depicts people crossing El Paso del Norte International Bridge into Ciudad Juárez (bit.ly/42JUKV7), (ibb.co/mHMRmr4), but dates to at least March this year. Reuters video shows the group trying to cross the bridge towards El Paso, Texas (here). Reuters addressed other miscaptioned footage falsely linked to the U.S.-Mexico border in May 2023 (here), (here). This footage showing migrants at El Paso del Norte International Bridge in Ciudad Juárez is not new, rather it dates to at least March 2023.

☆ Fact Check-Fireworks video does not show Naples, predates Napoli’s Serie A win
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video likely from Split, Croatia and dating to at least 2020 has been falsely linked to recent celebrations in the Italian city of Naples after local team Napoli secured their first Serie A football title in 33 years. "Scenes in Naples tonight after Napoli win their first league title for 33 years," read posts on Twitter and Facebook sharing the video (here), (here) and (here). Torcida and the Instagram user who shared the video in 2020 did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. The claim surfaced online after fireworks lit up the Neapolitan sky on May 4 as Napoli won its first Series A football title since 1990, Reuters reported (here). The video of fireworks can be traced to 2020 and is unrelated to Napoli’s 2023 Serie A win.

☆ Fact Check-Image of London Mayor Sadiq Khan with burqa-clad person is altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An altered image showing the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan with a person wearing a black burqa has been shared with the false claim that it shows Khan arriving with a woman at the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III on May 6. The original photograph taken in June 2022 shows Khan with his wife wearing modern clothing. The original photograph shows Khan with his wife Saadiya Khan, who can be seen wearing a pant suit, not a burqa (here). Pool photographs (bit.ly/3pmyCBL) and video (here) show Sadiq Khan arriving alone at Westminster Abbey for the coronation on May 6. Image does not show London Mayor Sadiq Khan arrive with a burqa-clad person for King Charles’ coronation.

☆ Fact Check- Image does not show ‘last Neanderthal giant’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A fabricated image of a giant man towering above a crowd of people is being shared alongside false claims that it shows the “last Neanderthal giant”, but the image was likely generated using artificial intelligence, experts said. A Facebook post sharing the image states: “This is the last know human Giant Neanderthal!” and adds that Neanderthals “died out” thousands of years ago, so “no Neanderthal's DNA is found in modern times” (here). Contrary to the online claims, Neanderthal DNA has been extracted from these skeletal remains and analysed extensively. The earliest version of the image of a purported “Neanderthal giant” that Reuters could find appears on the official subreddit for Midjourney, an AI-based system that generates images based on text prompts entered by users (bit.ly/423OozQ). The image does not show the last Neanderthal giant, it is likely AI-generated.

☆ Fact Check-Images of purported ‘satanic teachings’ in public libraries are AI-generated
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Images circulating online apparently capturing devil-like subjects sitting with children at public libraries were created with artificial intelligence (AI) and do not depict real events, as claimed in social media posts. God help us!” one Facebook user commented. The fourth image captures a group of children sitting on top of a red pentagram. I created these pics with AI (artificial intelligence) software,” part of it reads. These images do not depict a real event, they were created with artificial intelligence.

☆ Fact Check-Video shows people climbing Spain-Morocco fence, not US-Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A clip depicting people climbing a high border fence separating the Spanish city of Melilla in North Africa from Morocco traces to March 2022. The footage has been miscaptioned in social media posts claiming it was recorded at the U.S.-Mexico border as a COVID-19 border restriction known as Title 42 is due to end later this month. A video on Instagram features on screen text that says, “This is what the border really looks like. Many Republicans and a few Democrats fear its expiry will result in a rise in immigration to a level border authorities cannot manage. Videos in this clip were recorded in Spain’s Melilla border fence in 2022.

☆ Jordan Neely: Man dies after being put in a chokehold by another rider on New York City subway, officials say. The DA is investigating
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Brynn Gingras Laura Ly Maria Santana | Brynn Gingras | Laura Ly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Manhattan prosecutors are conducting a “rigorous ongoing investigation” into the death of a man seen in video being put in a chokehold by another rider on the New York subway. Jordan Neely, 30, died Monday due to “compression of neck (chokehold),” a spokesperson for the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said. Another rider then approached Neely from behind and put him in a chokehold, Vazquez said. New York police officers respond after a man riding the subway was placed in a chokehold by another passenger. The man who put Neely in the chokehold has been identified as a 24-year-old from Queens, a law enforcement source said.

☆ Fact Check-Vancouver speed gates not part of ‘15-minute city’ proposals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Yellow speed-reduction gateways in Vancouver are not part of the city’s “15-minute city” proposals. Although the city is implementing its version of the 15-minute city concept (here), the spokesperson said, the “15-minute City Ready” stickers were not applied to the concrete blocks by the City of Vancouver. Local reports about the yellow traffic calming tools (here, here and here) do not include any reference to 15-minute city proposals. Vancouver’s yellow gateways are a local government program for speed reduction and not part of the city’s 15-minute city proposals. Stickers referencing the 15-minute city concept were not applied or authorized by Vancouver officials.

☆ Fact Check-Purported clip of NYC ‘parade’ for Tucker Carlson’s Fox News exit is almost two years-old
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

It is not related to Tucker Carlson exiting Fox News, as claimed on social media. “NYC is going nuts over Tucker Carlson news,” reads a superimposed text in the circulating clip, which appears to have originated on TikTok. It is also viewable on Facebook (here)Reuters reported on April 24 that former Fox News star Tucker Carlson had left the network, days after Fox Corp settled a defamation lawsuit in which Carlson had a key role (here). The TikTok user, whose handle is visible in the video “@tiktalkingschmidt" posted the content with the Carlson caption on April 24. This video predates Tucker Carlson’s exit of Fox.

☆ NYC to give out 500 Apple AirTags for residents to put in their cars to combat car theft
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Laura Ly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Some Kia, Hyundai, and Honda models are getting stolen in New York City so often that the Mayor is giving out Apple AirTags to help residents track their vehicles. The city plans to distribute 500 AirTags to residents to place in their cars to combat car thefts in target neighborhoods, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced at a press conference on Sunday. Adams made the announcement in a Bronx neighborhood that has seen over 200 car thefts this year alone – the highest of any precinct in the city. The Hyundai and Kia vehicles in question include the Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson, and the Kia Forte and Sportage, with 2015-2019 model years. So far this year, the NYPD has recorded thefts of 966 Kia and Hyundai cars – marking an increase of 819 cars since last year, Chell said.

☆ Fact Check-Photo shows pool in Slovak labour camp, not Nazi concentration camp
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Online posts, however, miscaption the photo with the names of infamous concentration camps, such as Auschwitz, or falsely characterize the actual Slovak labour camp in the photo, Nováky, as a Nazi-run concentration camp. Senior historian at Yad Vashem Robert Rozett told Reuters via email that Nováky was not a concentration camp. UPN’s Jašek said that having a swimming pool was not usual for Slovak concentration and forced-labour camps. EXTERMINATION, CONCENTRATION CAMPSPaweł Sawicki, a spokesperson for the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (here), told Reuters via email that concentration camps and extermination camps were different to forced-labour camps. The photo shows a forced-labour camp in Slovakia, where, according to three historians, conditions were different to those at Nazi-run concentration camps.

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