Gaza

Do two clips of the same adults carrying a wounded boy in Gaza prove that the scene was staged in different locations? No, that's not true: The clips on social media come from a single video that depicts the response to a single event in Gaza -- a blast near a medical facility. Lead Stories confirmed that the clips came…

Does a viral video show an Israeli tank destroyed "by the resistance's fire" in Lebanon in October 2024? No, that's not true: The claim recycled footage of a Russian tank in Ukraine that emerged on social media nearly a year before the start of Israel's September 30, 2024, ground operation in Lebanon. Ukrainian media initially posted the footage on October…

Does Coca-Cola allow personalized cans to say "Allah Loves You" but not "Jesus Loves You"? No, that's not true: Neither phrase is allowed on custom cans that customers can order from the online Coca-Cola Store. The company's website states that names and phrases may be rejected if they are trademarked, political, religious or could be seen as offensive. The claim…

Is a social media post saying that a girl "approximately 3 years old" was found by "Deputy Amy Braidley" authentic? No, that's not true: This is a bait-and-switch post that sends readers to a real estate ad. Lead Stories has previously debunked similar posts with a 3-year-old being found in different locations across the country, each time by a deputy…

Did authentic social media posts offer genuine concern over the discovery of an urn marked "Zachary Levi Bowers" in various places? No, that's not true: This is a common bait-and-switch scam in which social media users post heart-tugging stories they later edit to display supposed real estate offerings. The same post often circulates under the names of many different towns.…

Did the Toronto Star, BBC and other major media cover a scandal involving Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh that supposedly "erupted" after he left his microphone on while on TV? No, that's not true: Searches for coverage of this supposed money-making scandal on these news sites led to no results. The post on X that said this linked to a fake…

Did protesters deface the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia or burn the U.S. flag on the Capitol grounds as a video on TikTok claimed? No, that's not true: Video and photo evidence show that they defaced a replica bell in Washington, D.C. While protesters did burn a U.S. flag in Washington, media coverage and a statement from Vice President Kamala Harris…

Does a video on social media capture a meteor over Budapest, Hungary, in July 2024? No, that's not true: The original video was taken during mass protests in the Hungarian capital on February 16, 2024 and other videos from the event do not show any meteor. People's outfits were much more consistent with winter weather than with midsummer temperatures in…

Does a video on social media show a crowd waving more Palestinian flags than French flags and celebrating victory for the political left in July 2024 French elections? No, that's not true: The video posted to "prove" the claim was shot during a pro-Palestinian march a month prior to the July 2024 French elections. A French news outlet's article confirmed…

Does a video posted on social media show Russian naval exercises off the coast of Florida in June 2024, as claimed in the post? No, that's not true: The missile launch test shown was performed from the White Sea in May 2018, not off the Florida coast in June 2024. The 2018 test was more than 5,000 miles from Florida.…