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26 May 2022

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Fact check

Fact check Misleading 

Misleading: Pope Francis was not holding a Ukrainian flag with Nazi symbol

27 April 202227 April 2022 3 min read

The flag shows the symbol of the uprising in Kyiv in 2014 known as the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine.

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Claim that Ukrainian President Zelenskky admitted to using cocaine in an interview
Fact check False 

False: Zelenskyy did not say he uses cocaine in this interview

26 April 2022 2 min read

The video was doctored with stitched video frames and spliced audio track. In the original video of the full interview, he said he doesn’t use drugs but he is into coffee and gets his energy from daily exercise.

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claim that ukrainian citizen interrupted news broadcast to protest Zelenskyy is false
Fact check False 

False: Woman protesting against Zelenskyy on Ukrainian TV is a digital mashup

1 April 20227 April 2022 3 min read

The montage mixes a live news broadcast in Ukraine with an unrelated clip using green screen technology, according to the TikTok user who made it.

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Fact check Misleading 

Misleading: Photo in Malaysia was used to illustrate Swatch craze in Hong Kong

31 March 202231 March 2022 3 min read

Hundreds of people indeed waited outside the stores across the city, but the photo shows a long queue at a shopping mall in Malaysia.

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Fact check Misleading 

Misleading: ‘Shirtless Putin on a panda’ image was not used by the Economist

25 March 202228 March 2022 3 min read

The image is one of the mock-up designs explored by the magazine. The published cover features only Putin’s face overlapping the face of Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

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Fact check Misleading 

Misleading: WHO asked Ukraine to destroy pathogens in public health labs, not bioweapons

21 March 20226 April 2022 4 min read

WHO routinely collaborates with member states on the safety and security of labs. Bioweapon allegations have been debunked by scientists.

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Fact check Misleading 

Misleading: This video shows a climate protest, not corpses in Ukraine

7 March 2022 3 min read

The video shows a demonstration held by climate activists against Vienna’s climate policy on Feb. 4, not casualties in the recent conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

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Fact check False 

False: Putin was not holding a picture of the late King Bhumibol of Thailand

4 March 20225 March 2022 2 min read

The image is manipulated. The original shows Putin holding his father’s portrait in 2015.

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Fact check Misleading 

Misleading: Photo of dog disposal not related to Beijing Olympics

2 March 2022 2 min read

The photo shows a dog cull in Yunnan Province in April 2006.

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Fact check Misleading 

Misleading: Video shows missile drill in China; not Russian attack on Ukraine

22 February 202228 February 2022 2 min read

The GIF is a clip from a 2017 CCTV video about China’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force.

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COVID-19 Fact check Misleading 

Misleading: People handcuffed outside hospital are suspected illegal immigrants

18 February 202219 February 2022 2 min read

The police told Annie Lab that seven men and 15 women were taken to the Pok Oi Hospital for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing recently.

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Featured image
COVID-19 Fact check Misleading 

Misleading: This discussion on ‘China’s plot to weaken US troops with vaccines’ is not organized by the Communist Party but by US website

8 November 202115 November 2021 3 min read

The video is from a live broadcast of GTV, an online platform known for its anti-Communist Party stance and push for misinformation and conspiracy theories.

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Screenshot of the Reddit post and the manipulated image
Fact check False 

False: Image of white man with ‘Black Lives Matter’ flag standing on the back of two Black people is digitally manipulated

8 November 2021 3 min read

The “Black Lives Matter” flag is taken from another photo and was added to what appears to be an older tourist image.

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Fact check False 

False: This video does not show Chinese police ‘kidnapping’ a Uyghur girl in Xinjiang

8 November 20218 November 2021 4 min read

It actually shows an officer trying to protect the girl from a bike coming at her. The video was taken in Suining, Sichuan, not in Xinjiang.

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COVID-19 Fact check Just in case 

Just in case: ‘Vaccination robot’ in this video is 3D computer graphics :)

4 November 20215 November 2021 2 min read

The CGI video was originally posted on May 30, 2021, by a TikTok creator specializing in visual effects.

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Fact check False 

False: ‘Falling dust,’ mobile phones and haircut do not prove Chinese astronauts are not in space

26 October 202126 October 2021 3 min read

An expert said dust particles may appear in space due to ambient air activity. Mobile phones can also work as internet access in space is made possible through satellite communication.

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Screenshot of the tweet and the manipulated image
Fact check False 

False: Image of US Army general receiving a Huawei phone from a Chinese general is manipulated

20 October 20218 November 2021 3 min read

The image is a composite of multiple pictures. Each person, the flags, and the gift box are all taken from different photos.

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COVID-19 Fact check False 

False: This video does not show a man vandalizing ‘vaccine passport verification’ machines

15 October 202120 October 2021 3 min read

The video was taken in 2017. It shows an intoxicated man thrashing self check-in machines at the Incheon International Airport, according to a news report.

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screenshot of the tweet
COVID-19 Fact check Verified 

Verified: This video shows protestors dancing at an anti-COVID restrictions demonstration in Netherlands

11 October 20215 November 2021 3 min read

The viral video shows people dancing to club music on the streets who were protesting against the social distancing restrictions and nightlife ban on Sept. 11.

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Screenshot of a tweet claiming 'the White House turned red this mornign for unknown reasons" with a "misleading" label on top of it.
Fact check Misleading 

Misleading: White House was not illuminated in red for China’s National Day or QAnon’s ‘Red October’

10 October 202112 October 2021 2 min read

The official residence of the President of the United States was lit up in pink to celebrate the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

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