The world of news is complex – and false stories and images are often widely shared on social media. Blasting News’s editorial team spots the most popular hoaxes and misleading information every week to help you discern truth from falsehood. Here are some of the most shared false claims of this week, of which none are legit.
World
Video of plane crash does not show final moments aboard China Eastern Airlines flight
False claim: A video of a plane crash has been shared thousands of times on social media around the world, alongside the claim that the clip was recorded by a passenger during the final moments of the fatal China Eastern Airlines crash of March 21, 2022.
Truth:
- A reverse image search shows that the clip shared on social media is part of a video published in 2019 by a YouTube channel called Bull Bosphorus.
- In the video description, the author explains that the clip was made using flight simulator “X-Plane 11” to reproduce an Ethiopian Airlines accident.
- On March 10, 2019 a Boeing 737 Max 8 flying from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to Nairobi, Kenya, crashed with 157 people on board, leaving no survivors.
- On March 21, 2021 a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 carrying 132 people from Kunming to Guangzhou crashed in the mountains of southern China's Guangxi region, leaving no survivors.
World
Russian cosmonauts did not wear blue and yellow spacesuits to support Ukraine
False claim: Social media users around the world shared a photo of three Russian cosmonauts wearing blue-and-yellow spacesuits, alongside the claim that this was in support of Ukraine.
Truth:
- On March 18, cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveyev and Sergey Korsakov of Russia's Roscosmos space agency were the first ones to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) since the start of the War in Ukraine.
- Asked during a press conference after arriving at the ISS about the reason for the colours of their uniforms, the response from Artemyev, the mission commander, was simple: “It became our turn to pick a color. But in fact, we had accumulated a lot of yellow material, so we needed to use it. So that’s why we had to wear yellow.”
- On its Telegram and Twitter accounts, Roscosmos also dismissed the idea that the cosmonauts were expressing support for Ukraine. According to the Russian space agency, the “design of the uniform was agreed upon long before current events” and that the colors were chosen as a nod to Bauman Moscow State Technical University, where all three cosmonauts graduated.
USA/Canada
Disney CEO was not arrested for human trafficking
False claim: Social media users in the U.S.
and Canada have posted the claim that Disney CEO Bob Chapek was allegedly arrested this month for human trafficking. The posts share as the source of the information an article published by the Vancouver Times website.
Truth:
- On its “About” page, the Vancouver Times describes itself as “the most trusted source for satire on the West Coast.” “We write satirical stories about issues that affect conservatives,” it reads.
- An internet search shows that, apart from the article published by the Vancouver Times, there is no record in the mainstream media that the Disney CEO has been arrested or has any involvement with human trafficking.
Europe
Russia has not announced any arrest warrant against George Soros
False claim: Social media users in Europe have shared posts claiming that the government of Russia has issued an arrest warrant against billionaire George Soros.
According to the posts, Soros is the main culprit of the conflict in Ukraine.
Truth:
- There is no official report from the Russian government about any arrest warrant against George Soros. There are no reports on the matter as well in the main media outlets of Russia or other Western countries.
- The false claim has been circulating on social media for some years now and was even officially debunked by the Russian government in 2018.
Latin America
Biden's son is not the director of Ukraine's largest private gas company
False claim: Posts shared by social media users in Latin America claim that Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, works as a director of Ukraine's largest private gas company.
Truth:
- In April 2014, Hunter Biden in fact was appointed non-executive director of Burisma Holdings, a private oil and gas company that operates in Ukraine since 2002.
- However, according to information published by Reuters on October 18, 2019 Hunter Biden left his position at Burisma in April 2019, still during his father's presidential campaign.
- According to official information, during his five-year term on the company's board, Hunter Biden provided advice on legal issues, corporate finance and strategy.
South Africa
Russia did not create its own version of McDonald's
False claim: Social media users in South Africa have shared posts claiming that Russia has allegedly created its own version of McDonald's after the fast-food chain announced the temporary suspension of its operations in the country in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The posts are followed by images of a so-called DonMak restaurant and products that borrows much of its look from the McDonald’s franchise.
Truth:
- Following the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, which triggered a series of sanctions from the West, McDonald's bowed to public pressure and on March 8 suspended its operations in Russia.
- A reverse image search, however, shows that the images shared in the social media posts have been circulating on the internet since 2016.
- The images were used in reports that told that after McDonald's shut down its operations in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, controlled since 2014 by pro-Russian separatists, part of the restaurants that belonged to the American fast-food chain started operating again, keeping the previous look but adopting the name DonMak.
