Category Images

How a video game has been used to create fake news about the Ukraine war – Truth or Fake

Since February, several Facebook and Twitter accounts versed in disinformation have been regularly sharing impressive videos purporting to show the war in Ukraine. But these viral images actually come from a video game called Arma 3. How can you spot these realistic spoofs that have even fooled international media? In this episode, the Truth or Fake team asks Pavel KÅiÅ¾ka, representative of Bohemia Interactive, the company that developed Arma 3.

Posts mischaracterize photo of BBC journalist during attack in Ukraine

Screenshots of a BBC news report shared on social media purport to show a journalist exaggerating the danger of a Russian attack on Irpin, Ukraine. This is misleading; the reporter has refuted the claim, and the posts ignore the shelling that took place in the area where the footage was filmed.

October 13, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Images Media formats Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Resources Ukraine

Your guide to geolocating photos and videos posted online

Determining whether a scene actually took place where a social media user said it did - also known as geolocation - has become a major part of verifying social media posts. In this article, we take a look at some essential geolocation tools and walk you through a few case studies from the FRANCE 24 Observers team.

How to investigate a Twitter account or suspicious tweets

There are about 200 million people who use Twitter on a daily basis, making it an important site for news and information. But this social network is also a prime source of disinformation, from fake accounts to tweets taken out of context. The FRANCE 24 Observers team takes a look at some good habits to avoid falling into these Twitter traps.

FRANCE 24 Observers’ guide to verifying images

Since 2018, the FRANCE 24 Observers team has been sharing tips for helping you to verify images that circulate online yourself. In this guide, we'll explain how to avoid falling into online traps - whether they involve photos or videos taken out of context or ones that have been actually doctored. We'll keep updating this guide, to keep you up to date on verification tools available for public use.

Doctored image does not show KFC in Russia that ‘changed name to Siberian Fried Chicken’

After the parent company of fast-food giant KFC said it was suspending operations in Russia, social media posts shared hundreds of times purported to show a photo of a branch that "rebranded as Siberian Fried Chicken" in order to stay in business. However, the image is doctored. The original photo shows a KFC restaurant in western Russia, which has not changed its name, a spokesperson told AFP on May 26, 2022.

June 1, 2022
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Images International community Media formats Misconceptions Resources Russia

Photo of Putin wearing crinkled suit has circulated online since 2017

An image of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been shared thousands of times online alongside a claim he "has started to wear a bulletproof vest" after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Part of Putin's wrinkled suit jacket was circled in the posts as evidence for the claim. The photo has been shared in a false context: it has circulated in reports since mid-2017, almost five years before Russian troops invaded Ukraine.

May 31, 2022
Fact checks / debunkings Images Media formats Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Putin Resources Russia

Picture does not show decorated officer among Russian prisoners

Social media users shared a photo claiming to show that a senior US military commander was among captives when Ukrainian soldiers defending the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol surrendered to Russian troops in May. But the claim is false; retired Admiral Eric Olson confirmed to AFP that he was not in Ukraine, and the photo appeared in Russian media a month before the surrender.

Photo shows Moscow’s first McDonald’s restaurant opening in 1990, not chain’s closure in Russia

A photo has been shared hundreds of times in social media posts that claim it shows Russians queuing to purchase their final meal at a McDonald's restaurant before the American fast-food giant closed all outlets in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Although local media reported that Russians flocked to McDonald's restaurants after the closure was announced, the photo has been shared in a false context. It was taken by an AFP photographer in January 1990 at the opening of the first McDonald's restaurant in the Soviet Union.

Doctored CNN tweet circulates in posts about ‘child soldiers training in Ukraine’

An image shared in multiple social media posts in different countries purports to show a genuine tweet from CNN about child soldiers in Ukraine. The claim is false; AFP found no evidence that the tweet was ever published by CNN, and the US broadcaster said it was fabricated. The photo in the posts has circulated online since at least 2018 in reports about Ukrainian children learning battlefield skills at a summer camp, and the photographer told AFP it was "never used" by CNN.