Deep State

Is a viral story about two missing hikers named "Sarah Bennett" and "Andrew Miller" found dead in a cave in 2019 consistent with reality? No, that's not true: Several details in the tale about the missing couple from Colorado don't add up, such as a non-existent newspaper quote of a sister named "Emily Bennett" in the Denver Post and an…

Did Astronomer CEO Andy Byron release a statement in which he lamented how "a private moment became public" without his consent? No, that's not true: A widely-shared screenshot showed a fake statement first published by a parody account on X. Byron, who is married, was the subject of news coverage in July 2025 after he appeared to have been shown…

Did Sky News publish a headline that read "Ice agents quitting in droves due to low morale, doxxing fears"? No, that's not true: The headline did not appear on the website of Sky News at the time of writing. It appears to have originated as a meme from the "South Dakota Department of Propaganda", a website with a satire disclaimer.…

Did rock guitarist Eric Clapton announce he would pay funeral expenses for the families of those killed in devastating flooding in parts of Texas, in July 2025? No, that's not true: We found no corroboration for a blog post that was shared widely and also claimed Clapton would be providing other forms of compensation. Social media posts supposedly praising Clapton…

Did a widely-shared image provide an authentic record of Niagara Falls turning "blood red" in June 2025? No, that's not true: The image was first posted by a Facebook page that regularly posts fictional content and AI-generated images. A spokesperson for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation confirmed that the story and image were "not…

Do viral images authentically document fires in Tel Aviv, Israel, in the aftermath of Iranian strikes during the June 2025 escalation of the conflict? No, that's not true: The set that purported to show a badly damaged building of a government-owned Israeli defense company displayed a wrong logo. No credible media organization published any of the images while reporting on…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump issue an Oval Office address wishing Americans a "not so happy Pride Month"? No, that's not true: The viral clip was digitally altered. In the original video, Trump talked about Easter. The altered video includes a black screen at the end that declares it a deep fake. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Did a viral video really show Pope Leo XIV publicly criticizing JD Vance for his reaction to former President Joe Biden's cancer announcement? No, that's not true: The clip used AI-generated sound to make it appear the Pope scolded Vance for attacking Biden with "cold, calculated words" and lacking "human compassion". No actual news websites reported that the Pope publicly…

Did several viral videos accurately report Whoopi Goldberg collapsed in court after losing an $800 million lawsuit to Karoline Leavitt? No, that's not true: The fictional lawsuit did not happen and the video used AI generated imagery of Goldberg. The channel that posted the video included a disclaimer saying it did "not claim absolute truth" and that the video was…

Does a viral video authentically show several cruise ships dumping raw sewage into the sea using huge pipes? No, that's not true: According to several AI detection tools the video was generated using artificial intelligence. It also contains several tell-tale signs of AI generation such as elements that blend into each other and bizarre features on the pipelines themselves. An…