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
Pfizer documents don’t show that vaccines are unsafe during pregnancy
False claim: Social media users around the world have shared the claim that recently released Pfizer documents show that the company's COVID-19 vaccine is not safe for both pregnant and breastfeeding women. The posts are followed by a screenshot of the alleged document.
Truth:
- A reverse image search using the keywords in the shared screenshot shows that the text in question is not, as claimed, part of a series of documents recently released by Pfizer, but rather a document released by the British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in December 2020.
- In a statement to AFP, a spokesperson for the MHRA confirmed that the agency was responsible for publishing the document, and stressed that the text does not reflect current guidance from British health authorities, who strongly recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women should get the COVID-19 vaccine.
- The spokesman also said that data from more than 104,000 pregnant women who received at least one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in England and Scotland show that there is no evidence that the vaccine poses any risk to pregnant or breastfeeding women.
USA
Amber Heard did not plagiarize lines from the movie “The Talented Mr.
Ripley” during trial
False claim: Social media users in the United States have shared the claim that actress Amber Heard allegedly plagiarized lines from the 1999 movie “The Talented Mr. Ripley” during her testimony last May 4 in the defamation case filed against her by her ex-husband Johnny Depp. According to the posts, Amber reportedly used lines from the character Marge Sherwood, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, only replacing the name “Dickie” for “Johnny.”
Truth:
- An analysis of Amber's testimony on May 4 and May 5, 2022, broadcast in full on Court TV and Law & Crime Network, shows that the actress did not use lines from “The Talented Mr. Ripley” movie.
- During the trial, Amber reported that while she was married to Depp she suffered a series of physical and sexual abuses, a claim that the actor denies.
Italy
Photo does not show a Chinese news report about the partitioning of Russia after the war
False claim: Social media users in Italy have shared an alleged screenshot of a broadcast from a Chinese state TV channel speculating about the partitioning of the Russian territory after the end of the War in Ukraine.
“On Chinese state television CCTV a map is being displayed showing which countries the territories of the Russian Federation could go to after its hypothetical collapse (oil-rich Siberia is, of course, Beijing's),” reads the caption of some of the posts.
Truth:
- A reverse image search shows that the map that appears in the alleged Chinese TV broadcast has been circulating online at least since June 2020, when a Reddit user named galacticpasta posted the image accompanied by the following caption: “The nearest country to you, when in Russia.”
- According to the Kazakh fact-checking agency factcheck.kz, the man who appears in the image is an investment consultant named Tao Ye, who works for the Beijing Zhongfang Xinfu Investment Management Consulting Co.
- Searching for Tao Ye's name it is possible to find the original video, published on YouTube on June 30, 2021 with the following description: “The market remains strong and semiconductors are growing again.”
- In the background of the original video, as expected, does not appear the map of Russia.
Brazil
Video does not show Putin's speech against “new world order”
False claim: Social media users in Brazil have shared a video of a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a caption that indicates that he criticized the “new world order” and said that world leaders are trying to reduce the planet's population.
According to the caption, Putin also said that Western countries were encouraging homosexuality and terrorism.
Truth:
- A reverse image search shows that the video shared on social media was recorded in 2016, on the occasion of the parade that takes place annually on the Victory Day holiday, which celebrates the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II.
- In the full speech, available in English on the Russian government's official website, it is possible to see that Putin actually pays tribute to the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents who fought in the war and asks for a minute's silence.
Latin America
Disney has not admitted that it made “a huge mistake” in supporting the “gender agenda”
False claim: Social media users in Latin America have shared an article claiming that Disney's CEO admitted, after the company's stock allegedly plummeted more than 70%, that it was “a huge mistake” to support the “gender agenda.”
Truth:
- A reverse image search shows that the information shared on social media was originally published on April 8, 2022 by the USA Taters website, which has the following message in its “About Us” section: “Everything on this website is fiction.”
- There is no record that the current CEO of Disney, Bob Chapek, or his predecessor, Joe Barron, who mistakenly appears in the posts, gave the statement that is circulating on social media. The information that Disney's stock has recently plummeted more than 70% is also not true.
- The false claim comes after Disney opposed to a law passed by conservative Florida lawmakers and signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis that “prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.”
- After the bill was passed, Disney issued a statement saying that it “should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.” “We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country,” it reads.
Asia
Map showing temperatures higher than 60 degrees Celsius in India is misleading
False claim: Social media users in Thailand have shared a satellite image of India accompanied by a weather temperature map of the country in April 2022, amid a severe early summer heatwave.
According to the image, some regions of India recorded temperatures exceeding 60 degrees Celsius.
Truth:
- A reverse image search shows that the satellite image was originally posted on Twitter on April 29, 2022 by @PlatformAdam, an environmental data platform.
- “The current extreme #heatwave in #Pakistan and #India as seen today, on the fourth intense hot day, by #Copernicus #Sentinel3 LST (Land Surface Temperature, not Air!). LST collected on April 29 shows max value exceeding 62°C/143°F. Gaps due to cloud/snow/nodata. #ClimateEmergency,” reads the tweet.
- According to experts, surface temperature is not the same thing as air temperature, a metric that is used in daily weather reports and is much more important for understanding how human health and well-being are impacted by heat.
