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.
USA
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was not funded by George Soros
False claim: Social media users in the United States have shared a claim that billionaire George Soros funded Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is at the forefront of the historic indictment of former President Trump over his alleged $130,000 hush money payment during the 2016 presidential campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
This claim was also promoted by Trump after his indictment on March 30 and by other GOP exponents, such as Florida governor and Trump's potential rival in the party's 2024 primary, Ron DeSantis.
Truth:
- The New York Times indicate that during the 2021 campaign that elected Alvin Bragg as Manhattan District Attorney, the political arm of the self-described racial justice organization Color of Change pledged to donate $1 million in support of Bragg's campaign. Soon after this pledge, Soros made a $1 million donation to Color of Change, which was one of several donations he made to the organization since 2016, totaling around $4 million.
- In a statement to The New York Times, a spokesperson for Soros claimed that the billionaire had never met Bragg and that no donations made to Color of Change were specifically intended for Bragg's campaign. Furthermore, the organization only ended up giving about half of the pledged $1 million to Bragg's campaign.
- Founder of the Open Society, a charity that promotes human rights around the world, Soros, who is Jewish and born in Hungary, is a constant target of conspiracy theories from far-right groups.
World
Pictures of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris celebrating Trump’s indictment are AI-generated
False claim: Social media users around the world have shared purported images of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris celebrating at the White House following the indictment of Donald Trump on March 30.
Truth:
- In statements to AFP and Snopes, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates reported that the images circulating on social media are “inauthentic.”
- A reverse image search shows that no major U.S. or international media outlet has shared the images as genuine.
- In a brief analysis, it is possible to see that the pictures have errors typical of images generated by artificial intelligence applications, such as the fact that Kamala's left arm seems to disappear when hugging Biden, or her right hand has more than five fingers.
- Another indication that the images are fake is the fact that Kamala Harris was on a trip to Tanzania, Africa on March 30, when Trump's indictment was announced.
USA/Mexico
Video does not show a zombie attack in China
False claim: Social media users in the United States and Mexico have shared a video showing passengers encountering zombies at a train station, alongside the claim that the images show a zombie attack recorded in China.
Truth:
- A reverse image search shows that the images shared on social media are actually from a zombie-themed event called “Train to Apocalypse” held in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta between August 5 and September 11, 2022 to encourage young people to use public transport and reduce traffic in the city.
- According to press articles published at the time, the event, inspired by the 2016 South Korean horror film called “Train to Busan,” was organized by Jakarta Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the company Pandora Box.
Europe
National Gallery in London is not removing a painting due to complaints that it resembles Vladimir Putin
False claim: Social media users in Europe have shared the claim that the National Gallery in London is planning to remove from display the painting “The Arnolfini Portrait” by Flemish artist Jan van Eyck from 1434, following complaints from visitors that the man depicted wearing a hat in the image resembles Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Truth:
- In a statement to Reuters, a spokesperson for the National Gallery informed that the painting is currently on display in Room 28 and that “there are no plans to remove this painting from display.”
- According to the spokesperson, there have been no complaints from visitors regarding the Jan van Eyck painting.
Brazil
WHO did not say healthy children and teens don't need a COVID vaccine
False claim: Social media users in Brazil have shared a screenshot of a news article claiming that the World Health Organization (WHO) has reportedly published new guidance advising that healthy children and teens don’t need COVID-19 vaccinations.
Truth:
- The WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Immunization Experts (SAGE) has updated its roadmap for COVID vaccinations after meetings held from March 20 to 23, 2023. Sage has now divided the population into three priority groups based on their level of immunity acquired during the pandemic, whether through infection or vaccination.
- The first priority group consists of individuals who are most at risk of severe illness if infected with the virus, including older adults, younger adults with significant comorbidities and people with immunocompromising conditions. The second group includes healthy adults under the age of 60 without comorbidities and children and adolescents with comorbidities, who are considered a medium priority. Finally, the third group, considered low priority, consists of healthy children and adolescents aged 6 months to 17 years.
- In the same document, SAGE states that “primary and booster doses are safe and effective in children and adolescents. However, considering the low burden of disease, SAGE urges countries considering vaccination of this age group to base their decisions on contextual factors, such as the disease burden, cost effectiveness, and other health or programmatic priorities and opportunity costs.”
Africa
U.S.
Treasury press release sanctioning four Kenyan politicians is fake
Fake claim: Social media users in Kenya have shared a screenshot of a purported press release from the U.S. Department of Treasury announcing sanctions against the country's Vice President Rigathi Gachagua and three other members of the ruling party. The purported statement claims that the U.S. visas of the four politicians have been revoked due to their alleged links to “sponsored violence” during recent anti-government protests called by Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Truth:
- A search of the U.S. Department of Treasury's website and their social media accounts finds no statement informing about the sanctioning of the four Kenyan politicians.
- In a statement to the AFP, Morgan Finkelstein, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Treasury, reported that the claim circulating on social media is false. The claim was also denied by the U.S. embassy in Nairobi in a post on its official Twitter account.
- In recent weeks, opposition leader Raila Odinga organized a series of protests, accusing President William Ruto of stealing last year's elections and failing to control the rising cost of living.
