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Does a viral video show real footage of a bear fighting a tiger over a moose carcass? No, that's not true: The video contained multiple signs strongly pointing to AI. Three online detectors placed the probability of the clip being a product of generative AI between 97% and 99.9%. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published…

Does a video show real footage of a horse protecting its owner from a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Japan? No, that's not true: The video shows signs of being AI-generated. Additionally, Lead Stories could not find any reports related to such an event outside of social media posts. The claim appeared in a post made on Bluesky by the account…

Do real photos show an Israel Defense Forces soldier repairing and revering the same crucifixion statue he vandalized? No, that's not true: Two images -- one showing a soldier washing the statue and another showing a soldier kneeling at the base of the cross -- are AI-generated. The photos were identified by Google Gemini as having a SynthID watermark. The…

Does a video show a real incident where a tiger escaped its cage while a keeper was cleaning the hall with a hose? No, that's not true: This video is AI-generated. It was originally published on Instagram by an account that almost exclusively posts similar videos of close encounters between keepers and dangerous animals. The account does not disclose the…

Was a Georgia school bus driver sued by parents because their children suffered scrapes when he stopped abruptly after a rock hit the windshield, critically injuring him? No, that's not true: There is no reporting about a lawsuit or school bus incident in Georgia matching these details. The photo of "Marcus" appearing in the video is a stock photo that…

Does a real unmanipulated video show Robert F. Kennedy Jr. saying "conspiracy theorists were right" and the COVID-19 vaccine maybe causes "gayness" and calling Anthony Fauci a "goblin"? No, that's not true: The audio in the video has been altered. An un-altered original video of RFK Jr. originally making the speech shows that he never claims the vaccine causes those…

Does a video show a real incident where British kids trapped a police officer inside a chain of locked shopping trolleys? No, that's not true: This video is a skit and the people are actors. The video was originally published on Facebook by the Official Jarvo69 Page, which boasts they are the "Greatest Prankster on Earth." The video resurfaced in…

Does a photo show President Donald Trump sitting with the Easter Bunny in the Situation Room at the White House in April 2026? No, that's not true: The image is a digital fabrication that adds a person in a full-body bunny costume, seated in a chair, to an official White House photo and includes an AI watermark. The original version…

Does an Artemis II photo taken in April 2026 show the same cloud patterns as an Apollo 8 photo from 1968? No, that's not true: The "Artemis 2" image, dated April 6, 2026, is AI-generated and is based on the famous Apollo 8 photo known as "Earthrise." There are no official NASA photos from Artemis II that match the fake…

Did a microphone at a press briefing catch the audible sound of a fart from Pete Hegseth, the secretary of war? No, that's not true: The press briefing clip published by the Iranian Embassy in Kenya has been edited to include a fart sound effect. The original video published on Instagram on March 13, 2026, the day of the press…