Does a video show a real traffic stop where an interaction with a nervous 16-year-old driver was captured on a police officer's bodycam? No, that's not true: The footage originated from a YouTube channel which discloses it sometimes uses professional actors to reenact original scripted content. The video was filmed in the Edgewater neighborhood in Miami, but the decal on…
Does a viral image of President Donald Trump approaching the French first lady for a kiss accurately document the scene in Versailles? No, that's not true: The picture was first posted by an account that labeled it as satire. The picture was loosely based on real photos of the event, but was likely to have been digitally edited with the…
Does a real photo show Michelle Obama standing taller than her husband, Barack Obama, as well as the Bidens, Bushes, and Clintons? No, that's not true: The image circulating on social media was edited. Lead Stories reviewed the original photograph and found that Michelle Obama did not tower above the others; in the unaltered image, she appeared to be about…
Does a viral mugshot show a woman who was arrested for gluing her husband's butt cheeks together? No, that's not true: The mugshot is of a woman arrested for starting a fire in a home where two people were inside. The arrest happened in Fairfield Township in the greater Cincinnati area. There are no credible news reports of a woman…
Was a man named Ethan Caldwell arrested after posing as a museum tour guide and inventing completely fake histories for every painting? No, that's not true: The story originated on an Instagram page known for posting parody stories. The story carries a disclaimer labeling the post as funny, comedy, satire and "for entertainment purposes only." There are no credible news…
Does footage of the Germany vs. Curaçao World Cup Game show a fan in the stands who looked just like Adolf Hitler and was rooting for Germany? No, that's not true: The screenshot of the FIFA World Cup match footage has been digitally altered. A verification tool from OpenAI found a SynthID watermark embedded in the image. The authentic FIFA…
Is Britain banning VPNs next month? No, that's not true: The prime minister of the United Kingdom announced a proposed ban on major social media platforms for children under 16. Keir Starmer made the announcement at a public press conference and did not say the ban included VPNs. One politician said the legislation might regulate VPN use by age, but…
Do authentic side-by-side photos of Barron Trump and Justin Trudeau show that the two bear an uncanny resemblance? No, that's not true: Neither of the images used in the comparison of the two men is real. The OpenAI verification tool detected an invisible watermark embedded in each image, meaning the images were made with OpenAI tools. The AI-generated image of…
Does a viral video accurately represent an interaction between U.S. President Donald Trump and UFC fighter Ciryl Gane said to have refused to shake hands with him? No, that's not true: Ciryl Gane did shake hands with Trump at the White House event that took place on the president's 80th birthday. The video circulating on social media did not include…
Does a viral video show Donald Trump Jr. opening a pack with a white substance at President Trump's birthday UFC event at the White House? No, that's not true: The clip did not offer evidence that it was him or show that person's face. Available images from the gathering show that, unlike the man from the video, Trump Jr. did…
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