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Does a video that shows political commentator Hasan Piker saying America should resume lynching Black people show him giving his own opinion? No, that's missing context: The words in question were not Piker's own, he was reading a comment. The original version of the deceptively edited clip shows Piker criticizing someone else's comments, not making the argument for lynching himself.…

Does a video show a migrant eating a rat in Europe? No, that's not true: The video does show a person eating a rodent, but it was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2024. It does not show a migrant in Europe as claimed in social media posts during the 2026 migrant influx in Ceuta, Spain, an autonomous city…

Have you seen viral videos showing elaborate movie sets of small-scale cities and landscapes where the crew creates special effects -- explosions and natural disasters -- in front of a blue or green screen? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. They do not show real…

Have you seen viral videos showing a courtroom sentencing where the convicted person is an over-the-top villain? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and has found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. They do not show real people or situations but are clickbait entertainment, possibly intended to ragebait people over stereotypes involved in…

Does a viral video actually show that an African migrant from a group rescued from the English Channel on August 7, 2026, said that he wanted "my money and my free house, and English woman"? No, that's not true: In reality, the man from the clip was filmed two years before the incident; he spoke Arabic, not English; and he…

Does a video clip show a farmer on a French show called "Face Your Worst Nightmare" being confronted with dozens of singing children dressed like the brother he killed in a drunk driving accident? No, that's not true: The clip actually shows a children's choral tribute to French composer and actor Serge Gainsbourg. "Farmer François Lavigne," along with the show…

Did President Donald Trump file an emergency motion to "stop his own lawsuit against the BBC"? No, that's not true: The president's lawyers asked a U.S. federal judge for a stay of discovery into his finances in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster, which the judge granted on Aug. 6, 2026. Had Trump wanted to stop his…

Have you seen a viral video showing a beautiful policewoman asking for engagement or friendship, a simple "Hello" or a follow? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and has found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. They do not show real people or situations although the videos are produced for audiences in several…

Was a man named "François Faivre", the supposed surgeon who "announced Brigitte Macron's transgender transformation," found dead in Paris in June 2026? No, that's not true: Lead Stories searched the French national registry of the deceased but found no exact matches. The claim came from a video showing AI-generated people that has resurfaced on the internet multiple times since 2025.…

Is Jason R. Day a real performance artist and impersonator who disappeared in 2012? No, that's not true: Day is an AI-generated character intended to satirize University of Cambridge professor Jason Arday in a fabricated Wikipedia page. Arday has been accused of plagiarism and of falsely exaggerating his achievements, including a claim to hold a "visiting professor" position at the…