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
Pentagon has not “confirmed” that Zelensky is a cousin of George Soros
False claim: Social media users shared the claim that a Pentagon official allegedly “confirmed” that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is the cousin of billionaire and philanthropist George Soros.
Truth:
- In a statement to PolitiFact, a spokesperson for Soros' Open Society Foundations said the claim is “entirely false.”
- A Department of Defense spokesperson told FactCheck that no Pentagon official has made that statement.
World
British Culture Secretary did not tweet that “food doesn’t grow on trees”
False claim: Social media users have shared an alleged tweet from British Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries in which she criticizes the “loony left” for moaning about the “rising demand for food banks.” “Every family needs to live within their means.
Food doesn’t grow on trees,” Dorries reportedly posted.
Truth:
- There is no record on Nadine Dorries' official Twitter account that indicates that she posted the statement that is being shared on social media.
- A search on the Politwoops website, a tool created by the NGO ProPublica to archive deleted tweets from politicians, also shows no record of Dorries' alleged post.
- In a statement to Reuters, a spokesperson for the UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said that the tweet circulating on the web is false and was not published by Dorries.
USA
California bill will not legalize infanticide in the state
False claim: Social media users in the United States have shared screenshots of articles claiming that a California bill plans to legalize infanticide in the state.
Truth:
- Many of the articles shared on social media indicates that the bill refers to the term “perinatal mortality,” which encompasses both stillbirths and early neonatal deaths, defined as death up to seven days after birth.
- The bill, however, had its text amended on April 6 to specify that the deaths to which it refers must be “due to a pregnancy-related cause.”
- According to the bill's sponsors, the law aims to avoid situations in which women who deliver stillborn children are prosecuted and possibly criminalized.
Europe
BBC did not publish a video claiming that Ukraine was responsible for the Kramatorsk train station attack
False claim: Social media users in Europe have shared an alleged video by BBC News in which the British broadcaster claim that Ukrainian authorities were responsible for the attack on the Kramatorsk train station that left more than 50 dead and 100 injured.
The authorities in Kyiv accuse Moscow for the attack.
Truth:
- A search on the BBC News website and its official social media accounts shows that the broadcaster has not published the video that has been shared on the web.
- In a statement posted on its official Twitter account on April 13, the BBC Press Team said: “We are aware of a fake video with BBC News branding suggesting Ukraine was responsible for last week’s missile attack on Kramatorsk train station. The BBC is taking action to have the video removed. We urge people not to share it and to check stories on the BBC News website.”
Brazil
CNN has not stated that Elon Musk could threaten free speech on Twitter
False claim: Social media users in Brazil shared a screenshot of an alleged CNN chyron reading: “Elon Musk could threaten free speech on Twitter by allowing people to speak freely”.
Truth:
- A reverse image search shows that the image shared on social media was originally published on April 5 on a website called Geniuses Times, which describes itself as the “the most reliable source of Fake News in the planet.”
- In a statement to Reuters and AP, CNN said that the image circulating on social media was never aired by the network.
- The false claim comes after the owner of SpaceX and Tesla announced on April 4 that he has acquired a 9.2% stake in Twitter (for about $2.9 billion), becoming the company's largest single shareholder.
Asia
Video of ousted Pakistan PM insulted during live phone-in is doctored
False claim: Social media users have shared a video of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, ousted on April 10 after losing a no-confidence vote in Parliament, being insulted by a member of the public during a live phone-in.
“You have no feeling for the people and are clinging on to power. Like a monkey, you are clinging on to power,” the caller says.
Truth:
- A reverse image search shows that the clip shared on social media was originally posted on April 4 on Kahn's official Facebook account.
- In the excerpt that matches the clip shared on the web, the caller actually says; “I request that you save my phone number, I am a relative of Shah Mehmood Qureshi (former foreign minister). I am from Cholistan, where people and animals drink from the same pond.”
- Also in the original recording, the caller says he supports Khan and criticizes opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, whose brother Shehbaz Sharif replaced Khan as prime minister on April 11.
