Truth or Fake
Rásarupplýsingar
Truth or Fake
Truth or Fake is a fact-checking rendez-vous in association with the FRANCE 24 Observers. Our content focuses on false images circulating online and how to identify them. Monday to Thursday at 8:45pm and 10:20pm Paris time.
Nýlegir þættir
37 þættir
No, ICE agents did not zip-tie a toddler in Chicago
Viral posts accuse U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents of arresting and zip-tying very young children in Chicago, as part of Trump's...
Did young leftists wreak havoc in the French National Assembly?
Here in France, we’re used to heated debates in the National Assembly – especially during political crises. But this time, it’s not the MPs making the...
Did Israel leave behind booby-trapped dolls and food cans in Gaza?
A viral post claims that Israeli forces have left behind booby-trapped dolls and food cans in Gaza, allegedly to harm returning civilians. However, th...
Storm 1516: The Russian operation responsible for at least 77 disinformation campaigns
Earlier this year, French authorities identified almost 80 disinformation campaigns led by a Russian operation dubbed Storm 1516. These mainly targete...
France: Ministers in Lecornu's short-lived government to receive three months' salary?
France is grappling with further political turmoil after Sébastien Lecornu, the country's latest prime minister, stepped down after less than a month...
Is Emmanuel Macron building a luxury bunker "in preparation for World War III"?
A viral post on social media claims that French President Emmanuel Macron is spending almost €150 million in state funds on a luxury underground bunke...
No, this footage does not show a woman assaulted by police in Morocco's protests
As protesters in Morocco have been taking to the streets calling for improved social services and less corruption, some online are circulating footage...
'Med beds': Trump shares video championing alleged cure-all technology
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump shared an apparently AI-generated clip championing fictional cure-all medical technology, known as "med be...
Pro-Russians allege ballot fraud in Moldova election
In the wake of Moldova's parliamentary election, which saw the ruling pro-Western party clinch a solid victory, some online are widely circulating foo...
'Escalatorgate': Trump accuses UN of 'triple sabotage'
In a lengthy 357-word diatribe online, US President Donald Trump blasted the UN for what he called "triple sabotage" during his address to the UN Gene...
'RaptureTok': Christians prepare for the 'end of the world' in viral craze
People are selling their cars, quitting their jobs and saying goodbye to their children. On TikTok, viral videos show Christians preparing for what th...
Fact-checking Trump's claims of a link between Tylenol and autism
US President Donald Trump has made sweeping statements urging Americans not to use the over-the-counter painkiller acetaminophen (paracetamol) during...
Defiant French town halls fly Palestinian flags despite government ban
To mark France's recognition of a Palestinian state, 50 town halls across France have hoisted the Palestinian flag onto their facades. It's a defiant...
DOJ deletes report on far-right violence after Kirk assassination
A 2024 US Department of Justice study was scrubbed from the department’s website just days after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The report found t...
No, these videos do not show a French cathedral recently set alight by Muslims
In recent days, videos allegedly showing a cathedral in the western French city of Nantes engulfed by flames have gone viral on social media. Many soc...
Musk's Grok falsely accuses police of spreading disinformation about far-right rally in London
As far-right anti-immigration demonstrators took to the streets of London on Saturday, London's Metropolitan Police posted footage of violent clashes...
Has Qatar suspended its mediation efforts in the Gaza conflict?
In the wake of Israel's unprecedented strike on Doha, a rumour circulated online that Qatar had suspended its mediation efforts in the Gaza conflict....
Viral image of Banksy mural featuring English flag is digitally altered
After Banksy revealed his latest artwork in London, some social media users widely circulated an image alleging that it depicted a judge attacking a p...
No, this video does not show Muslims threatening to burn down Notre-Dame Cathedral
In recent days, a string of English-speaking accounts on X have been sharing a clip they allege shows several Muslims threatening to burn down churche...
How flames of French political crisis are being fanned by foreign bot networks
In the midst of France's political crisis, low trust in politics and politicians is creating fertile ground for fake news stories to spread. An anti-g...
Did Xi Jinping snub Narendra Modi during his visit to China?
In the wake of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization summit in Tianjin, which was attended by more than 20 world leaders earlier this week, some inte...
Venezuela claims Trump's deadly strike on alleged 'drug boat' is AI-generated
A Venezuelan government official claims footage showing a strike on a vessel allegedly carrying illegal narcotics bound for the US – first shared by D...
Death hoaxes, bruised hands, AI photos: What we know about Trump's health
In recent days, speculation surrounding US President Donald Trump's health has swirled on social media. His media absence has fuelled rumours about hi...
No, this Scottish schoolgirl wasn't brandishing weapons to protect herself from migrants
Elon Musk and far-right activist Tommy Robinson were amongst the thousands of social media users to amplify false anti-migrant claims that a 12-year-o...
Could burning the US flag land you in jail?
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that seeks to prosecute, where possible, people caught burning the US flag. But according to a...
How accurate are Trump's claims about crime in Washington DC?
After sending National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington DC, President Donald Trump looks intent on expanding the role of the US military in...
Was Trump removed from a list of Nobel Peace Prize nominees?
Nobel laureates are gathering in Germany this week for a meeting dedicated to the field of economic science. Hoping to join their ranks in the future...
Famine in Gaza City: Did the UN's hunger monitor 'forge' the numbers? No
Since the UN-backed IPC declared that Gaza City and its surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, Israel has slammed the report as "lies...
Does sunscreen increase the risk of skin cancer? Here's the science
A recent anti-sunscreen narrative has swept social media, claiming that sunscreen increases the risk of skin cancer due to toxic chemicals, and that a...
Was Trump erased from Chelsea's celebratory photos at FIFA Club World Cup?
Following US President Donald Trump's attendance at the FIFA Club World Club final, rumours have surfaced that winning team Chelsea erased Trump from...
No, incinerators were not installed at 'Alligator Alcatraz'
As criticism of the Trump administration's detention centre "Alligator Alcatraz" mounts, a rumour has been circulating online that incinerators have b...
The Velvet Sundown: This band blowing up on Spotify is 100% AI-generated
It's a rock 'n' roll band with over 1 million monthly listeners, with three albums out in barely six weeks. But despite shooting to Spotify's top rank...
Musk's Grok chatbot praises Hitler and spews racist responses
Elon Musk has unveiled the latest version of his AI chatbot Grok, integrated into his platform X, in the hope that it will rival OpenAI's ChatGPT. The...
No, recent cloud seeding did not trigger the deadly Texas flash floods
As the death toll from catastrophic flash floods in Texas continues to climb, weather conspiracies on social media began to circulate. Users suggested...
No, French nuclear waste wasn't secretly sent to Armenia
An artificial intelligence-powered website impersonating FRANCE 24 and its journalists has published a hoax claim that France exported nuclear waste t...
No, this Sharaa-Netanyahu meeting did not take place
A viral picture is circulating online, allegedly showing Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meeting and shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjam...
'Alligator Alcatraz': Yes, US Homeland Security posted AI photo of alligators with ICE hats
The Trump administration recently opened its new migrant detention centre dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz", located in the Florida Everglades. The facility...