Tag: Fact-checking

CLAIM: An image shows a bottle of rainbow-colored mayonnaise called “Gayo” that was released by Kraft to celebrate Pride Month.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The image was fabricated. It was first posted in 2022 by a social media user who goes by the name “Doctor Photograph” and frequently shares satirical images of fake products based on the real thing. Kraft Heinz, the company that owns the Kraft brand, confirmed to The Associated Press that “Gayo” is not real.

THE FACTS: As this year’s Pride Month kicked off on Saturday, the image spread out of context on social media, implying that “Gayo” is an actual product.

It shows someone’s hand holding a bottle of what is supposedly rainbow-colored mayonnaise in front of a grocery store shelf. “Real Gayo,” the label reads, along with taglines such as “Smooth & Sassy” and “Add Pride to your next BLT.” The Kraft logo also appears on the bottle.

Many posts shared the image with an added caption that reads, “what the hell is this.” One on Instagram had received more than 29,000 likes as of Monday.

But no such condiment exists.

The image, which has been misrepresented online during previous Pride Months, was created by the social media user Doctor Photograph, whose real name is George. He declined to give his last name due to concerns that his family could be harassed if it is made public.

Doctor Photograph’s X profile reads, “I create photoshopped labels, bootleg toys & doctored images.” He first shared the “Gayo” image in 2022 with the hashtags “#photoshopped” and “#thatlooksdoctored.” The user confirmed to the AP in an email that the image, which he made in Photoshop, “was definitely created as a joke for my followers.”

“My photoshops have been stolen/repurposed in the past but in those instances, I felt like my work was being recycled for likes, whereas in this case I felt like somebody used my work to stoke hate, which I really struggled with,” he added.

Kraft Heinz confirmed to the AP in an emailed statement that “this is not a real product.”

Doctor Photograph shared a similar image in 2021, with minor differences. For example, the supposed rainbow of mayonnaise is horizontal rather than vertical and the label uses the tagline, “Take Pride in your next sandwich.” Although the added caption in the image spreading on social media hides it, both fake labels include the text “[DoctorPhotograph].”

A post pinned to the top of Doctor Photograph’s X profile shows the original photo of Kraft mayonnaise that he edited, along with both versions of the satirical “Gayo.” Doctor Photograph posts many other images of fake satirical products, such as “Cannibal’s Condensed Human Soup” and “I Fell Off the Cliff Bar.”
___
This is part of the AP’s effort to address widely shared false and misleading information that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: A video shows President Joe Biden trying to sit in a chair that wasn’t there during a ceremony in Normandy, France, commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The video, in which Biden’s chair is for the most part clearly visible, is cut before the president sits down. Full footage of the ceremony shows the president looking over his shoulder for his chair and pausing before taking a seat.

THE FACTS: As World War II veterans and world leaders gathered to honor the famed Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France, social media users shared the short clip to further an ongoing narrative that Biden is infirm.

In the video, Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands while standing between their wives, first ladies Jill Biden and Brigitte Macron. The president then briefly looks over his left shoulder, bends over and hovers in that position as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is announced as the event’s next speaker.

“This is disturbing,” reads one X post. “Pres. Biden is literally trying to find the invisible chair to sit in. It’s just all so sad, and disgraceful to those in attendance who desire to honor the brave men who died to protect our nation from tyrannical governments.”

Another X post states: “Biden is trying to sit in a chair that doesn’t exist. The problem is that he intends to continue running for the presidential elections.”

But the video spreading online cuts off right before Biden takes a seat. In footage of the ceremony in its entirety, the president glances at his chair, bends over, pauses as Austin’s introduction begins and then sits down at the same time as Macron, their wives and the people sitting behind them. Biden’s chair is visible throughout the video although it is obscured in some sections.

Biden spoke later in the event, pledging “we will not walk away” from Ukraine, drawing a direct line from the fight to liberate Europe from Nazi domination to today’s war against Russian aggression. He called D-Day a “powerful illustration of how alliances, real alliances make us stronger.”

The June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion was unprecedented in its scale and audacity, using the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to punch a hole in Adolf Hitler’s defenses in western Europe and change the course of World War II.

Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy that day, most from the U.S., Britain and Canada. They faced around 50,000 German troops.
___
This is part of the AP’s effort to address widely shared false and misleading information that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: A 75-year-old woman named Paulette Harlow was sentenced to two years in prison for praying outside an abortion clinic in Washington.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Harlow was convicted in August 2023 of federal civil rights offenses for her role in the October 2020 invasion and blockade of the Washington Surgi-Clinic. Along with other anti-abortion activists, Harlow used force and physical obstruction to execute the blockade, according to the Department of Justice. She was sentenced to 24 months in prison on Friday.

THE FACTS: Social media users are misrepresenting Harlow’s crimes, alleging that she is being put behind bars because she chose to pray beside the clinic.

“A DC judge just sentenced 75-year-old Paulette Harlow, who is in poor health, to 2 years in prison for praying outside an abortion clinic,” reads one X post that had received approximately 15,000 likes and 9,800 shares as of Wednesday. “Her husband fears she might die there.”

An Instagram post that shared a screenshot of the X post states: “The justice system has been broken for a long time and needs a f—ing overhaul. It’s not going to happen overnight but it NEEDS to happen.”

The post, which received more than 3,800 likes, also referenced former President Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts last week. “Stop saying ‘if’ they can do it to Trump, they can do it to you,” it reads. “They already ARE doing it to you.”

But Harlow, who is named in court documents as Paula “Paulette” Harlow, isn’t getting prison time for praying outside the clinic.

The 75-year-old was sentenced to two years behind bars after being convicted on two charges for taking part in the blockade of the Washington Surgi-Clinic: felony conspiracy against civil rights and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, more commonly known as the FACE Act.

Enacted in 1994, the federal FACE Act prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services. The law also prohibits damaging property at abortion clinics and other reproductive health centers.

Harlow was charged alongside nine co-conspirators, including the blockade’s leaders, Lauren Handy and Jonathan Darnel. She was the last to be sentenced. All but one of the defendants were found guilty on the same charges as Harlow. The other pleaded guilty to violating the FACE Act. Handy and Darnel were sentenced to the most prison time, 57 months and 34 months, respectively. The rest received sentences ranging from 10 to 27 months.

“These 10 defendants have been held accountable for using force, threatening to use force and physically obstructing access to reproductive health care in the District of Columbia,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

Martin Cannon, one of the defendants’ attorneys, said in a statement responding to Handy’s sentencing on May 14 that she and her co-defendants were united in non-violence and that “they conspired to be peaceful.”
___
This is part of the AP’s effort to address widely shared false and misleading information that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: Banners from the HBO series “House of the Dragon” are hanging from the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. There are no banners hanging from either bridge, an Associated Press reporter who went to the area Monday confirmed. Videos spreading online that show the New York landmarks adorned with “House of the Dragon” banners circulated in the runup to the start of the second season of the “Game of Thrones” prequel. A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Transportation told the AP that the agency is “not aware” of any such banners.

THE FACTS: Social media users are sharing the videos ahead of the season two premiere on Sunday, claiming that the banners are real.

One video shows a shot of the Brooklyn Bridge as it appears from Plymouth Street between Dock Street and New Dock Street in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood. Two large, green banners with a gold crest hang from one of the iconic stone towers on the Brooklyn side of the bridge.

“BREAKING: Westeros Banners have been raised around NYC,” reads a caption on the clip.

In another video, two black banners with a red crest hang from the Manhattan Bridge tower closest to Brooklyn. It was shot from at the intersection of Washington and Front streets, a popular spot in DUMBO for taking pictures of the bridge.

“Westeros banners hanging from the Brooklyn Bridge for ‘HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’ Season 2,” reads one X post that had received more than 40,000 likes and 3,800 shares as of Monday.

A caption added to a TikTok video that combines the two clips states: “Game of Thrones taking over NYC.” It was viewed approximately 10,400 times.

But the banners are not real.

An AP reporter on Monday about 1 p.m. went to the area where each video was filmed and confirmed no banners were hanging from either bridge. Moreover, the first video appears to have been shot in colder weather, as the trees and bushes that appear in the foreground with no leaves are now covered in green foliage.

Vincent Barone, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Transportation, told the AP that the agency is “not aware of these banner displays” and that the footage “appears to be digitally altered.”

The “Game of Thrones” X account shared both videos, along with similar images of other landmarks worldwide. A New York tourism Instagram account posted the first video and marked it as a “paid partnership” with “House of the Dragon.”

The banners represent two factions of a civil war in the fictional “House of the Dragon” universe who are fighting for control of the Iron Throne.

Those fooled included the local television station News12 Brooklyn, which published an article Monday claiming that “House of the Dragon” banners had really been raised on the bridges. News12 did not respond to an inquiry from the AP, but has since updated the story, calling the videos “computer-generated.”
___
This is part of the AP’s effort to address widely shared false and misleading information that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: A video shows tall black fences put up Monday to block access to the Supreme Court building in Washington, an indication of impending “chaos.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The video is from May 2022 and shows fencing erected following the leak of a draft opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade. Shorter barriers are present in the area, but the building was open Monday and Tuesday during its usual visiting hours. Aside from people attending public sessions, it is otherwise closed to the public on days when the court convenes, as well as weekends and federal holidays. The building will next be closed on Wednesday for Juneteenth and then on Thursday, when the court is in session.

THE FACTS: Social media users are misrepresenting the 2-year-old video as new, falsely claiming that the Supreme Court is anticipating activity that would require additional security measures.

In the approximately 20-second clip, a long row of tall black fences can be seen in front of the Supreme Court building, blocking access.

“WARNING: INCOMING FALSE FLAG EVENT: IT’S CHAOS AT THE CAPITOL !!!” reads one X post. “FENCES AND BARRICADES NOW SURROUND THE US SUPREME COURT BUILDING. THE FENCES SAY ‘CHECKMATE.’”

A TikTok post that shared the video had been viewed approximately 114,900 times as of Tuesday. “Supreme Court Fenced off from the public,” a caption reads. “Monday 6/17/24.”

But the video does not reflect the current scene at the Supreme Court building. It was posted in May 2022 by a Capitol Hill reporter for Washington’s WTOP News.

The 8-foot-high, hard-to-climb fencing was installed that month after protests erupted outside the court and the homes of some Supreme Court justices following the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion that signaled the justices were planning to overturn Roe v. Wade. The courthouse had already been closed to the public since March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In August 2022, the large fencing was removed, but the building remained off-limits to the public, with shorter barricades blocking off the plaza and steps in front of the Supreme Court. The public was allowed to attend arguments in the courtroom again starting that October and the court was further reopened to the public nearly two months later.

Some posts also included footage of shorter barricades in the area — the kind that are often used to control crowds at parades and other large gatherings.

An AP reporter who went to the area around noon on Tuesday verified that there was no tall fencing outside the Supreme Court building. The reporter observed that the shorter barricades were present along most of the courthouse’s perimeter, but did not block public access to the building.

Photos of the Supreme Courttakenon Tuesday reflect this description.

The building was open on Monday and Tuesday during its usual visiting hours, according to an online calendar. It is closed to the public on days the court convenes, with exceptions for those attending public sessions. It is also closed on weekends and federal holidays. The building will be closed for Juneteenth on Wednesday and again on Thursday when the court is in session and is expected to announce opinions.
___
Associated Press writer Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.
___
This is part of the AP’s effort to address widely shared false and misleading information that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: A screenshot shows a Politico article about the war in Ukraine titled, “20 000 000 lives for the sake of freedom,” which reported that Ukraine will need to sacrifice millions of lives to win its war against Russia.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The screenshot of the article is fabricated and the news outlet has never published such a story, a spokesperson for Politico confirmed to The Associated Press.

THE FACTS: Russia’s embassy in South Africa tweeted the falsified image this week, suggesting that the political news outlet had published the article to its website.

CLAIM: The turnout of registered voters in Wisconsin in the 2020 election was 94%, which suggests something suspicious about the results.

CLAIM: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene published a Twitter post reading, “How can the Titanic submersible run out of air if you breathe both in and out?

News outlets are warning of a deadly TikTok challenge that involves people jumping off speeding boats.

CLAIM: A video shows a “World Economic Forum agent” calling for a cashless society and saying those determined “less desirable” will be locked out.

“#Ukraine will need 20 000 000 lives to ‘return’ territories – Politico,” reads the post. “As they have already said, #NATO is pushing a war to be fought until the last Ukrainian.”

The fabricated image mimics how an article would look if viewed on Politico’s website from a mobile device. It includes the outlet’s logo and a tag above the headline that reads, “Research,” but the text is also full of grammar and punctuation errors.

For example, the headline, which reads, “20 000 000 lives for the sake of freedom,” is missing two commas. “And this, as turned out is almost the entire working-age population,” reads a subheadline, which leaves out the word “it,” among other mistakes.

Searches on Politico’s website show no record of such an article and Melissa Cooke, a spokesperson for the outlet, confirmed in an email to the AP that “this article was not published by POLITICO.”

The Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of South Africa did not immediately respond to a request for comment about its tweet.

Ukraine is in the initial stages of a counteroffensive that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described as aimed at liberating areas occupied by Russia.
___
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: A compilation of videos shows animals — including lions, an elephant and a rhinoceros — which were released from a French zoo by protestors during recent unrest triggered by the deadly police shooting of a teen.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The videos predate the current riots in France and most were filmed in other countries, including the U.K., Nepal and the Czech Republic.

THE FACTS: Amid protests that erupted after a 17-year-old named Nahel Merzouk was fatally shot by a police officer in France last week, social media users are sharing the compilation of animal videos, erroneously claiming that they are related to the tension.

CLAIM: The turnout of registered voters in Wisconsin in the 2020 election was 94%, which suggests something suspicious about the results.

CLAIM: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene published a Twitter post reading, “How can the Titanic submersible run out of air if you breathe both in and out?

News outlets are warning of a deadly TikTok challenge that involves people jumping off speeding boats.

CLAIM: A video shows a “World Economic Forum agent” calling for a cashless society and saying those determined “less desirable” will be locked out.

The video includes 15 clips showing myriad animals on the move, often in urban environments where they are out of place. Included are clips of lions walking among cars, a zebra running down a city street and a rhinoceros strolling past a row of shops.

One Instagram post that shared the compilation had received more than 4,600 likes by Thursday, and it also spread widely on Twitter and TikTok. The posts claim the animals were released by protesters from a zoo in France, often specifying Paris.

But the videos have nothing to do with the current unrest in the country, as they were all either filmed prior to recent protests, outside of the country — or both. In response to a question about whether it was aware its animals had allegedly been released, the Paris Zoological Park posted on Twitter in French that they “are fine and are all safe.”

The first video in the compilation shows a pride of lions weaving among a group of parked cars. It was posted on YouTube in 2020 with the user identifying the location as Knowsley Safari, a tourist attraction near Liverpool, England, where visitors can drive amongst wild animals. Knowsley Safari confirmed to The Associated Press that the video was filmed at the park.

A similar video later on in the montage shows a male lion walking alone past a row of cars. It was posted on YouTube in 2021 with the caption, “a curious lion at Knowsley Safari park in England.”

A third clip of lions, depicting a pride walking at night next to a low brick wall, was first shared on Twitter in February by a user who identifies himself as a member of the Indian Forest Service. He wrote that it was filmed in the Indian state of Gujarat, which contains Gir National Park and its population of Asiatic lions. While the AP could not independently confirm the location, multiple Indian news outlets wrote about the video at the time, and it certainly predates the protests.

A zebra can be seen running down a city street in another video, followed closely by two horses. This footage first appeared online in April 2020 and was featured in news coverage about animals that had escaped from a circus in a suburb of Paris.

The next video shows a rhinoceros strolling past two shops as onlookers watch from nearby. Damien Mander, an environmentalist and activist, first posted a longer version of the video on his Instagram account in 2019, explaining that it was filmed in Nepal near Chitwan National Park. Signs seen in the background reading “Hotel Peacock” and “Sauraha Pharmacy” match images on Google Maps from a town near the park.

The compilation then shows an elephant walking into busy traffic near a Shell gas station. It was originally posted on Twitter in June 2018 by a user who said it was filmed in Neuwied, Germany. News coverage at the time featured the clip and reported that authorities had received reports of the animal walking around the town and suspected that it had escaped from a visiting circus nearby.

A goat wandering along a street at night near parked cars is shown in another clip. While the AP could not confirm exactly when and where the video was taken, it dates back to at least January, when a longer version was posted on TikTok by a user who identifies the location as Ales in France.

The next video shows a swan meandering across an urban bridge. Although it is unclear when the footage was taken, Prague’s National Theatre is clearly visible in the background and the location matches the nearby Legion Bridge on Google Maps.

In another video, three gorillas round the corner of a yellow building with a green wall in the background. The origin of the clip is unclear, as the video has been shared widely as a meme since at least December 2022, but the location matches Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya, Japan. The same yellow wall appears in other videos of the zoo’s gorillas, and longer versions of the video from the compilation reveal more of the green wall, through which visitors can view the primates.

A video of a peacock walking past a crosswalk and along a road has been online since at least May, when it was posted to TikTok. The post states that it was filmed in Stains, near Paris, and is captioned in French, “when you meet a peacock in the 93,” referring to Seine-Saint-Denis, the department of France in which Stains is located.

Also filmed in this area are separate clips of a camel and what appears to be a bull or an ox, which was posted as one video on TikTok in 2022 with text over the top identifying the location as “the 93.” Another video of the same incident appeared on Twitter in 2020. A black and gray building in Gennevilliers, another suburb of Paris, matches one that can be seen in both clips.

Another video shows a large black canine walking on the street. The original was posted in April on TikTok by a user who said it was filmed in Marseille, France, and suggested the animal was a wolf. A local news outlet covered the incident at the time, speaking with a veterinarian who said it was actually a dog.

Two of the final clips show a herd of ostriches running down a city street. The videos match footage seen in January 2022 news reports about a herd that escaped from a farm in Chongzuo, China.
___
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: The World Health Organization admits mothers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 are giving birth to babies with heart defects.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. A spokesperson for the WHO confirms the global health agency has made no such declaration. The claims reference a WHO report on a recent rash of infant myocarditis cases in Wales. But the report says the cases have been linked to enterovirus, and makes no mention of COVID-19. Public health officials in Wales also say most of the mothers weren’t even vaccinated against the coronavirus during pregnancy.

THE FACTS: Social media users are sharing a false claim that the United Nations health agency has made the startling admission that coronavirus vaccinations are leading to severe health complications in newborns.

Many are sharing a screenshot of a headline that reads: “WHO Admits That Fully Jabbed Moms Are Giving Birth to Babies With Severe Heart Defects.”

The headline is from a post by The People’s Voice, a website previously known as NewsPunch and Your News Wire that routinely spreads misinformation.

“MAJOR BOMBSHELL: The World Health Organization has finally admitted that THOUSANDS of fully jabbed mothers giving birth to babies with ‘severe heart defects’,” one Twitter user wrote in a post sharing the screenshot. “This is Satanic.”

But the WHO report referenced in the website’s story has nothing to do with the coronavirus or any of the vaccines developed to help prevent its spread.

The May 16 report discloses the 10 recent cases of myocarditis diagnosed in newborns in Wales. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that’s typically caused by a viral or bacterial infection and can lead to chest pains, shortness of breath and heart palpitations, according to the WHO.

The report states that the cases, which occurred between June 2022 and April 2023, have been linked to enterovirus, which generally causes mild infections but can affect newborns and people with weakened immune systems more severely.

One infant has so far died, but the WHO has deemed the public health risk low.

“As there is no vaccine for this virus, control measures during outbreaks are focused on classical hygiene measures including frequent handwashing and disinfection of soiled clothing and surfaces,” the agency wrote, referring to enterovirus. “In certain situations, it may be advisable to close child-care facilities and schools to reduce the intensity of transmission.”

Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the WHO, confirmed the widely shared headline misrepresented the agency’s report. “There is no truth in this one,” she wrote in an email, without elaborating.

Representatives with The People’s Voice didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday, but public health officials in the United Kingdom also shot down the false claims, noting the WHO report makes no mention at all of COVID-19.

Daniel Owens, a spokesperson for Wales Public Health, the local agency that investigated the cases, said there is no evidence the myocarditis cases were linked to COVID-19 vaccination as “only a small minority” of the mothers were actually vaccinated during pregnancy.

“No clear cause has yet been identified for the increase this year in enterovirus-associated myocarditis, but we believe the increase may be due to the changes in circulation of respiratory viruses over the pandemic, with a subsequent effect on their circulation post-pandemic,” he wrote in an emailed statement.

Emma O’Brien, a spokesperson for the U.K.’s Health Security Agency, which reported the cases to the WHO on behalf of Wales, stressed the COVID-19 vaccine remains the best way for people to prevent serious complications from the virus.

“Large-scale studies worldwide have found no evidence of any increased risk of myocarditis in infants of mothers who were vaccinated against COVID-19 in pregnancy,” she wrote in an email.

Shamez Ladhani, a pediatrician at the agency, also dismissed the false claims as “complete misinformation.”

“This is a well-known condition caused by a well-known virus that happens to a very small minority of babies every year, but sometimes the cases can cluster as happened in Wales recently,” he wrote in an email, referring to myocarditis and enterovirus. “We were simply raising awareness of this cluster to the healthcare community.”
___
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: President Joe Biden misspelled the word “billion” while addressing reporters after debt ceiling talks with congressional leaders at the White House.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. C-SPAN video shows Biden spelled out “billion” correctly in his May 9 remarks, although it is harder to hear in lower-quality footage circulating online and was misspelled in a White House transcript.

THE FACTS: Social media users are sharing the low-quality clip online, suggesting that the president needs remedial spelling instruction.

CLAIM: A new, comprehensive study has found zero cases of Amish children with cancer, diabetes, autism or other serious medical conditions and few deaths from COVID-19 because Amish people don’t get vaccinated.

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts: President Joe Biden has not been impeached, the House voted last month to send articles of impeachment to its Judiciary Committee and its Homeland Security Committee for review.

CLAIM: A video shows people at a July 4 White House celebration pretending to take photos of President Joe Biden with switched-off phones, proving the event was staged.

CLAIM: The turnout of registered voters in Wisconsin in the 2020 election was 94%, which suggests something suspicious about the results.

“We have cut the deficit by $160 billion dollars — billion,” Biden says. He then spells the word “billion” for emphasis. One Instagram post that shared the clip quotes Biden as saying “B-I-L-O-I-O-N dollars.” “He can spell about as well as he can speak,” reads the caption.

While it does sound like Biden may have misspelled the word due to the speed at which he says it, the president can be heard clearly sounding out two L’s in higher-quality C-SPAN footage from the press conference, which came after he met with congressional leaders about the debt ceiling.

This is even more apparent when the video is set to half-speed, which can be changed in the C-SPAN video’s settings.

The spelling claim previously circulated online in the days after the event because a White House transcript of Biden’s remarks also includes a typo that makes it seem as though he spelled “billion” incorrectly.

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment about the error.
___
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: The United Kingdom’s national healthcare system has stopped coronavirus vaccinations in Europe.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Not only does the U.K.’s National Health Service not control healthcare policy in other parts of Europe, it also hasn’t stopped administering all COVID-19 shots within its own borders. The island nation has stopped offering primary and secondary doses of the vaccination to any resident who seeks it, but the elderly and those considered high risk are still eligible for the initial doses or booster shots going forward.

THE FACTS: A social media post claims, without evidence, that the U.K.’s National Health Service is ending the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across continental Europe.

“NHS has stopped vaccinations in Europe as of June 30,” the popular Instagram post reads. “Media is silent.”

But the agency is doing nothing of the sort.

For one thing, the NHS only has jurisdiction in the U.K. territories of England, Scotland, Wales and northern Ireland, not the whole of Europe.

And while it’s true that June 30 marked a milestone in the country’s distribution of coronavirus vaccines, public health officials stressed that they’re not ending use of the shots entirely, as the post claims.

Instead, the country on June 30 stopped providing the initial two-dose regimen of the vaccine for most people. The end came as the health officials also concluded their spring vaccine booster campaign that was focused on those 75 or older and other high risk groups.

U.K. Health Minister Maria Caulfield, in a May release urging residents to get vaccinated before the cutoff date, said the country was focusing its resources on those most in need of vaccine protection.

“As we live with COVID-19 without restrictions on our freedoms, it is right that we move towards a more targeted vaccination offer that prioritises those most at risk, so we can focus our efforts on cutting waiting lists for NHS treatment – one of the Prime Minister’s top 5 priorities,” she said in the statement.

Shaun Whelan, a spokesperson for the U.K. Health Security Agency, which oversees the country’s public health and infectious disease response, noted in an email Friday that those at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus will still be able to receive booster shots during subsequent seasonal vaccination drives.

A person who moves into a high risk group, such as those with cancer, diabetes or other chronic ailments, would also be qualified to receive their primary doses during those times, he wrote.

“The vast majority of the population have been vaccinated with their primary doses,” Whelan added.

Jack Gordon-Brown, another U.K. HSA spokesperson, wrote in an email Friday: “Yes it’s correct to say that we are not ending the administration of vaccines forever.”

The U.K.’s vaccine policies have been a target of misinformation before.

Earlier this year, social media users falsely claimed the nation was banning anyone under the age of 50 from getting the shots.

Instead, public health officials said they were focusing on inoculating the elderly and the people most at risk of serious complications from the virus.
___
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: The World Economic Forum has declared that “fashion will be abolished by 2030” and that “humans will all wear a uniform.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The WEF has never called to abolish fashion, a spokesperson for the organization told The Associated Press. Claims otherwise originated in an article by a website known for publishing misinformation, which misrepresented a 2019 report which merely suggests ways to reduce consumption-based emissions and has no connection to the WEF.

THE FACTS: Social media users are sharing an erroneous article as evidence that the World Economic Forum — an organization best known for hosting an annual conference of business and political leaders in Davos, Switzerland — wants to stop people from showcasing their own individual style in the near future.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False.

CLAIM: A new, comprehensive study has found zero cases of Amish children with cancer, diabetes, autism or other serious medical conditions and few deaths from COVID-19 because Amish people don’t get vaccinated.

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts: President Joe Biden has not been impeached, the House voted last month to send articles of impeachment to its Judiciary Committee and its Homeland Security Committee for review.

CLAIM: A video shows people at a July 4 White House celebration pretending to take photos of President Joe Biden with switched-off phones, proving the event was staged.

“WEF Says Fashion Will be Abolished by 2030: ‘Humans Will All Wear a Uniform,’” reads the story’s headline. The article was published by The People’s Voice, a website previously known as News Punch that has published numerous stories based on conspiracy theories and other fabricated information.

One tweet that shared a screenshot of the article had received more than 25,000 likes and more than 8,900 shares by Friday.

But the article is based on a misrepresentation of a report that neither calls for anything of the sort, nor has anything to do with the WEF.

“The World Economic Forum never called to abolish fashion,” Yann Zopf, a spokesperson for the WEF, wrote in an email. “These are false claims to discredit the important work that the World Economic Forum does on serious global challenges.”

The People’s Voice article cites a 2019 report titled, “The Future of Urban Consumption in a 1.5°C World.” But the report wasn’t authored or funded by the WEF, nor is it related to the organization in any other way.

The report was actually co-authored by C40 Cities, a global network of mayors working to fight climate change; Arup, an engineering consulting firm; and the University of Leeds. It states that it was funded by Arup, the university, and Citi Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the global investment bank.

In a section about clothing and textiles, the report does not suggest banning fashion or forcing uniforms on society. Rather, it emphasizes how clothing and textile waste contributes to consumption-based emissions and argues that these emissions could be reduced if people limit the number of clothing items they buy each year. Eight pieces per person, per year by 2030 would be a “progressive target,” according to the report, and three pieces “aggressive.”

The WEF has similar initiatives to C40 Cities, but the two organizations are independent of each other, Zopf said. He confirmed that the WEF has funded neither C40 Cities nor the 2019 report.

The WEF has long been the subject of conspiracy theories and a repeated target for misinformation.

The People’s Voice did not immediately return a request for comment.

___

This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: An image shows a TMZ headline saying Madonna is “clinically brain dead.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. An image of the headline is fabricated, TMZ confirmed, and the pop superstar released a statement on Instagram this week saying she’s “on the road to recovery” after being hospitalized for a “serious bacterial infection.”

THE FACTS: The singer, who spent several days last month in an intensive care unit, posted a statement on Instagram Monday announcing that she is “getting stronger.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False.

CLAIM: A new, comprehensive study has found zero cases of Amish children with cancer, diabetes, autism or other serious medical conditions and few deaths from COVID-19 because Amish people don’t get vaccinated.

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts: President Joe Biden has not been impeached, the House voted last month to send articles of impeachment to its Judiciary Committee and its Homeland Security Committee for review.

CLAIM: A video shows people at a July 4 White House celebration pretending to take photos of President Joe Biden with switched-off phones, proving the event was staged.

That didn’t stop social media users from sharing the bogus headline that falsely suggested otherwise.

“THIS IS THE END MADONNA CLINICALLY BRAIN DEAD…With No Chance of Recovery,” reads the headline in the image, above a photo of Madonna in black and white. The layout is in the style of a TMZ story with the red “EXCLUSIVE” banner.

The fabricated image was shared on Instagram in recent days and has more than 9,000 likes as of Monday. The same headline was also shared on Twitter last week with more than 3,000 likes as of Monday.

But itis a hoax. TMZ has not published any such story and the image appears to be an edited screenshot of a real article about Madonna.

The timestamp on the image reads “6/29/2023 1:59 PM PT,” matching that of a real TMZ article from last month titled: “MADONNA STILL TOO SICK TO GET OUT OF BED… Opening Tour Dates Uncertain.” It also has the same photo, but the real article uses a color image.

Archives of the page stored by the Wayback Machine show the headline has not been changed since it was published, and the headline circulating on social media cannot be found anywhere on TMZ’s website.

Casey Carver, a spokesperson with the outlet, confirmed to The Associated Press that TMZ never published the headline and said the image was “clearly something someone on social media has put together that has no relationship to TMZ.”

Madonna’s manager, Guy Oseary, wrote on Instagram last month that she had “developed a serious bacterial infection” on June 24, which led to a stay in the ICU for several days. “Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care. A full recovery is expected,” he wrote at the time.

In her Instagram post on Monday saying that she is “on the road to recovery,” Madonna also said she would reschedule the North American leg of her career-spanning Celebration Tour. The tour was originally slated to kick off July 15 in Vancouver and run through Oct. 8 in Las Vegas, but will now start Oct. 14 in London.

___

This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: President Joe Biden caught on camera sniffing a baby.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The loud sniffing sound was added to the original video, which merely shows the president leaning in to speak with a baby being held by its mother at a recent event. The original clip doesn’t include any sniffing sounds.

THE FACTS: Social media users are sharing a video they claim shows America’s commander-in-chief aggressively sniffing a young child.

The clip shows Biden dressed in a blue suit and red tie speaking to a mother holding a baby.

In the edited video, the child is out of the frame and cannot be seen, but Biden can be heard saying, “You’re a good kid,” before adding, “Let me whisper a secret.”

Biden then leans in close and loud, dog-like sniffing sounds can be heard until he pulls back and says, “Don’t tell mama what I told you.”

“Did y’all see this? Completely abnormal behavior,” wrote one Facebook user who shared the video. “Joe Biden, unaware he’s being recorded, aggressively sniffs a child.”

But the video has been altered to add in the sniffing noises.

The longer, original version of the clip was posted on Tik Tok on June 9 and simply shows the president speaking to the child, who can be seen being held by his mother, but not making any unusual noises.

“So I met the president of the United States today,” reads the text on the 40-second clip, which also includes a series of hashtags.

Among them are “#fortliberty” and “#army,” suggesting the video was taken at Fort Liberty in North Carolina.

On June 9, Biden visited the Fayetteville military base, formerly known as Fort Bragg, to sign an executive order meant to bolster job opportunities for military spouses whose careers are often disrupted by their loved ones’ deployments, The Associated Press reported at the time.

The woman who posted the clip under the username @saucedofamily did not respond to a message seeking comment on Monday.

But in recent days, she’s acknowledged online that she’s aware of the deceptively edited versions of the clip being widely shared on social media.

“I seen it. people don’t have better things to do,” she quipped in the comments below her original post, adding that other users should have, at the very least, given her credit for the video.

The woman also said Biden didn’t appear to have made any sound at all when he leaned in after a number of users inquired.

“I don’t think he told him anything because I didn’t hear him say anything,” she wrote in subsequent comments. “I think he just pretended to say something.”
___
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: A video shows a major library in France burning during riots sparked by the killing of a teen by police.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. While the façade of a library in Marseille was reportedly vandalized during the unrest, the widely shared video shows the fiery destruction of a historic post office in the Philippines in May.

THE FACTS: Social media users are claiming a video shows a storied library in France set ablaze by rioters during the European nation’s unrest following the police killing of a 17-year-old.

The dramatic aerial footage shows a massive structure with Roman-style columns along the water fully engulfed in flames.

Some on social media claimed the building was the National Library in Paris, while others suggested it was a landmark library in the port city of Marseille.

“France’s national library being culturally enriched,” wrote one user on Instagram who shared the video. “How do you feel about the arson attack on the Bibliothèque nationale de France?”

“Now this is tragic. I’m truly shocked and can’t comprehend this. The biggest library in France (in Marseille) burnt down by rioters,” wrote a Twitter user who also shared the video. “Tragic. Horrible. Disgusting. Is it really about a kid shot by police?”

The video isn’t from France but half a world away in the Philippines.

The footage shows a massive fire that tore through the country’s Central Post Office in the capital city of Manila on May 22.

News reports at the time, including from The Associated Press, feature similar video clips of the classically-designed building on the water’s edge with flames and dark billowy smoke pouring out.

Spokespersons for Manila’s Public Information Office, which provided the aerial footage to the AP, confirmed the video being widely shared showed the Central Post Office burning in May. Elodie Vincent, a spokesperson for France’s National Library, also confirmed in an email that the Parisian library was unharmed during the unrest.

What’s more, the exteriors and locations of the two French libraries referenced in social media posts are vastly different from that of the five-story Manila post office, which sits along the banks of the Pasig River.

France’s National Library is a lower slung building built in the Beaux Arts style that’s located a few blocks away from the Seine, near the Jardin du Palais Royal.

The Alcazar Library is similarly located blocks away from the waterfront, in Marseille’s central commercial district.

Its distinctive orange entryway pays homage to the namesake theater once located on the site. The library reopened Tuesday after its front windows were shattered and entry vandalized by rioters, according to local news reports.

As for the blaze in the Philippines, officials at the time said the fire started in the basement of the 100-year-old structure and raged for several hours before being brought under control.

The Philippine Postal Corporation, which was housed in the building along with the country’s main mail-sorting and distribution operations, has said the historic building will be restored.
___

This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: Shahzada Dawood, one of the passengers who died in the Titan submersible, was the vice-chairman of the World Economic Forum.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. A page on the World Economic Forum’s website listed Dawood as “Vice-Chairman, Engro Corporation, Dawood Hercules,” referring to his family’s firms, not the forum itself. Dawood was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Family Business Community, but wasn’t an employee, a spokesperson said.

THE FACTS: Dawood, a prominent Pakistani businessman, and his son were among the four passengers and pilot on board the OceanGate submersible, Titan, which officials now say imploded near the wreckage of the Titanic.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False.

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts: A clip of President Joe Biden purportedly admitting to selling “state secrets” was edited to omit when he said he was joking.

CLAIM: Lab-grown meat is made out of cancerous animal cells.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Meat grown in labs is made using cells taken from animals, but those cells are not cancerous and there are many safeguards in place to ensure that the end product is safe to consume, experts told The Associated Press. The false claim stems from the fact that, like cancer cell

CLAIM: Rare malaria cases reported in Florida and Texas recently were caused by a disease-control initiative backed by Bill Gates that involved releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S.

A day before the U.S. Coast Guard announced the passengers’ fate, some social media users shared a page from the forum’s website, falsely claiming it showed Dawood was the organization’s leader. The Geneva-based think tank and event organizer — best known for hosting an annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland — is a frequent subject of conspiracy theories.

“What is the coincidence that the father and the son that are trapped on this contraption right here, in this tin can, are part of an organization that us Americans and Canadians all despise?” a man said in a June 21 Instagram video with more than 3,000 likes as of Thursday.

“He is part of the World Economic Forum. He is also the vice chairman of World Economic Forum,” he continued, displaying a screenshot of the webpage about Dawood on the World Economic Forum website.

However, that is not what the forum’s page says. It says “Vice-Chairman, Engro Corporation, Dawood Hercules.”

Engro Corporation is a Pakistani conglomerate that works in multiple industries, including energy and agriculture. It is owned by Dawood Hercules Corp., his family’s firm.

Yann Zopf, a spokesperson with the World Economic Forum, confirmed to The Associated Press that Dawood is not the vice chairman or an employee. Dawood is also not featured on the WEF leadership page.

Zopf noted that Dawood was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Family Business Community and attended some of the events in this capacity. The Family Business Community connects “prominent family business leaders worldwide,” according to its website.

Engro Corp is also listed as a World Economic Forum partner, which allows businesses to participate in the organization’s centers and events for networking.

Pages on the WEF website like the one featuring Dawood are created for any person who has ever attended a WEF event or has written a blog posted on the site, Zopf previously told the AP.

The U.S Coast Guard said in a news conference on Thursday that the Titan’s implosion likely occurred near the Titanic shipwreck.

The five others who perished include a renowned Titanic expert, a world-record holding adventurer, and Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate and the pilot of the vessel.

___

This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

THE CLAIM: Photographs show the remains of OceanGate’s Titan submersible after U.S. authorities reported the deaths of all five people on board.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed to The Associated Press that there are so far no public images of the wreckage. Two of the photographs being shared were actually taken in 2004 and show the remains of the Titanic itself; the other photograph was first shared on a Twitter account that identifies as a parody and spreads images created by artificial intelligence.

THE FACTS: The submersible carrying five people toward the Titanic imploded near the wreck site, killing all five people on board, the Coast Guard said on Thursday.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False.

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts: A clip of President Joe Biden purportedly admitting to selling “state secrets” was edited to omit when he said he was joking.

CLAIM: Lab-grown meat is made out of cancerous animal cells.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Meat grown in labs is made using cells taken from animals, but those cells are not cancerous and there are many safeguards in place to ensure that the end product is safe to consume, experts told The Associated Press. The false claim stems from the fact that, like cancer cell

CLAIM: Rare malaria cases reported in Florida and Texas recently were caused by a disease-control initiative backed by Bill Gates that involved releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S.

Any remaining hope of finding the five men alive had been dashed hours earlier, when the ship’s oxygen was expected to run out and debris had been found approximately 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic in the waters of the North Atlantic.

After the announcement, social media users erroneously claimed, both in English and in Spanish, that a series of photographs showed the remains of the submersible.

“Images of the remains found of the #Titan submarine of the Ocean Gate company,” reads one of the Facebook posts written in Spanish, which included two photos showing human objects covered in sand and another photo with remains of the vessel.

“OceanGate was found but unfortunately, no one survived,” wrote another Facebook user in English in a post that also included the photos. “The underwater robot found the debris of the titan on the ocean floor. It’s been discovered that there was a catastrophic implosion when they tried to surface.”

But the Coast Guard said the search team, which also includes the U.S. Navy, the Canadian Coast Guard and OceanGate, has not released any photos or videos of the debris.

“Unless released from our official press releases or our social media, these photos are unconfirmed,” the armed service branch wrote in an email.

In a reverse image search, the AP found that two of the images, which appear to show shoes and kitchen utensils, were taken in 2004 near the Titanic and do not match the Titan’s wreckage.

“This 2004 photo provided by the Institute for Exploration, Archaeological Oceanography Center/University of Rhode Island/NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration shows the remains of a coat and boots in the mud on the seafloor near the stern of the Titanic,” says the description of the image, which is available in the AP’s archives.

The third photo, showing a boat in the sand, was uploaded from the Twitter account @prince_of_fake, which identifies as a parody and often shares AI-generated images.

The Titan left Sunday afternoon and was reported late that afternoon about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St John’s, Newfoundland, on its expedition to the site where the Titanic sank more than a century ago, the AP has reported.

At least 46 people successfully traveled on the OceanGate submersible to the wreck of the Titanic in 2021 and 2022, according to company letters filed in federal court in Norfolk, Virginia, which oversees matters related to the sinking of the liner.
__
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: Photos show children who were trafficked as “sex slaves” being rescued from tunnel systems beneath Central Park in New York City.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The images all show other events, mostly efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 in March 2020, including at a field hospital in Central Park and a U.S. Navy hospital ship, also in New York City.

THE FACTS: A video spread online in recent days misrepresenting the early pandemic images as the supposed rescue operation.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False.

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts: A clip of President Joe Biden purportedly admitting to selling “state secrets” was edited to omit when he said he was joking.

CLAIM: Lab-grown meat is made out of cancerous animal cells.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Meat grown in labs is made using cells taken from animals, but those cells are not cancerous and there are many safeguards in place to ensure that the end product is safe to consume, experts told The Associated Press. The false claim stems from the fact that, like cancer cell

CLAIM: Rare malaria cases reported in Florida and Texas recently were caused by a disease-control initiative backed by Bill Gates that involved releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S.

As photos flash across the screen, a woman’s voice claims that “highly-equipped ships” had been sent to New York City “to take care of children rescued from tunnel systems under Central Park.”

She continues: “Children that were born into sex slavery in these tunnel systems, kept as sex slaves. They are deformed and completely shattered and broken.”

But the images largely show healthcare operations in the early days of the pandemic, mostly in New York City.

For example, an image of a large white ship with red crosses on it was taken by an Associated Press photographer on March 30, 2020. It depicts the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship sent to New York City to treat non-COVID patients while hospitals focused on people with the virus.

Several other images are cropped versions of a photo taken by a U.S. Navy photographer that shows sailors treating what appears to be a young patient aboard the USNS Mercy, a hospital ship that was deployed in San Diego around the same time, also for non-COVID patients.

Three other photos in the video show an emergency field hospital set up in Central Park by Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian relief group. One was taken by an AFP photographer on March 30, 2020, while another was captured the same day by a photographer for Getty Images. The third was taken for Untapped New York, a tour company which publishes an online magazine about hidden gems in New York City.

Another image of military troops surrounded by empty portable cribs was taken by a Texas Air National Guard photographer on April 1, 2020, and shows a field hospital set up in response to COVID-19 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.

The video also includes a screenshot of a Travel + Leisure article titled, “There’s a Secret Tunnel Under Central Park.” But the 2016 story is about an old subway tunnel under Central Park that was repurposed for an extension of one of the system’s train lines — not tunnels used to imprison children.

A short clip at the start of the video shows troops in a military plane, one of whom is rocking a baby in his arms. While the origin of the video is unclear, it has been online since at least late August 2021, with posts at the time suggesting it was taken near Afghanistan. This was around the same time the Taliban seized control of the country’s capital, leading to a withdrawal of U.S. troops and desperate attempts by Afghans to flee.

Asked whether there had been any reports of sex trafficked children being rescued from tunnels in Central Park, the New York Police Department wrote in a statement to the AP that it is “not aware of this alleged incident.”

False claims about child sex trafficking and other abuse are part of a common misinformation narrative that has spread in different forms for decades.
___
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

CLAIM: A map shows that Poland has not been the target of any terror attacks, the lack of which is a result of the country’s “strict no-migrants policy.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The map, built by the Center for Strategic and International Studies using the University of Maryland’s Global Terrorism Database, only includes terror attacks from 2012 through 2015. While the database does not have records of any terror attacks in Poland during that period, it shows there have been 42 from 1971 through 2020. Additionally, Poland is open to migrants as a member of the European Union. Regardless, the map does not prove migrants are the cause of the attacks in neighboring countries, and experts say the data shows they are in fact more likely to be victims of terror than perpetrators.

THE FACTS: A screenshot of the map spread online in recent days alongside erroneous claims that it shows a link between Poland’s migration policies and low levels of terrorism.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False.

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts: A clip of President Joe Biden purportedly admitting to selling “state secrets” was edited to omit when he said he was joking.

CLAIM: Lab-grown meat is made out of cancerous animal cells.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Meat grown in labs is made using cells taken from animals, but those cells are not cancerous and there are many safeguards in place to ensure that the end product is safe to consume, experts told The Associated Press. The false claim stems from the fact that, like cancer cell

CLAIM: Rare malaria cases reported in Florida and Texas recently were caused by a disease-control initiative backed by Bill Gates that involved releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S.

“Here is a map of terror attacks in Europe,” one tweet states. “Poland has a strict no-migrants policy. Draw your own conclusions.” It had received more than 41,300 likes and more than 11,000 shares by Wednesday.

But such claims are misrepresenting this data, Poland’s immigration policies, and the relationship between terrorism and migration, experts say.

It is true that CSIS’ map does not show any terror attacks in Poland. However, it only shows attacks recorded in the Global Terrorism Database over a four-year period, from 2012 through 2015. The database has records of attacks from 1970 through 2020. During that time, Poland has seen 42 terror attacks, including six that occurred after 2015.

CSIS did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Erin Miller, program manager of the Global Terrorism Database, told the AP that using the map to make a wider point about migration and terrorism is a flawed premise given how selective the data is.

“That happens to be a period where we don’t have attacks recorded in Poland, but that’s not a very comprehensive look at the database that we have,” she said.

While Poland does have lower levels of migration than other countries in the European Union, it doesn’t have a “no-migrants policy.” As a member of the EU, Poland must adhere to freedom of movement rights, which allow EU citizens and their families to reside freely in member countries.

Poland issued 14,386 temporary residence permits in 2020, mostly for people from Ukraine and Belarus, and naturalized 7,501 people. As of late May 2023, approximately 1.6 million Ukrainian refugees from the Russia-Ukraine war were registered for temporary protection in Poland, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Regardless, the map doesn’t show that terror attacks in the countries with higher migration rates were perpetrated by migrants, as the posts suggest, noted Miller.

“A dot representing a terrorist attack on a map doesn’t inherently provide any information or support any conclusions about who is responsible for the violence,” she said.

In fact, she added, most terror attacks are carried out by “domestic assailants,” and immigrants are more likely to be victims than perpetrators.

The interactive CSIS map includes numerous examples of such attacks on migrants, and the entire Global Terrorism Database includes more than 150 attacks that targeted refugees and asylum-seekers in Western Europe over the past decade — a figure Miller said is considered to be “extremely conservative.”

Countries that experience an influx of people do tend to have an increase in terrorist activities, said Daniel Meierrieks, a research fellow at the Berlin Social Science Center with expertise in international migration and terrorism. But that’s simply because more populous countries have more attacks, not because the migrants are the ones responsible, he added.

To the extent that there is a relationship to migration, especially in the case of people coming to Europe from non-European countries, it’s due to the attacks on the migrants — not by them, according to Meierrieks and Richard McAlexander, a data analyst who studied terrorism and international borders as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.

“When we think of terrorism and migration and their possible relationship, it’s that migrants are very often, or much more often or likely, to be the victims of terrorism rather than the perpetrators,” McAlexander said. “You’re in a new country. You’ve suffered some trauma. You’re in a precarious position. And the last thing you want to do is jeopardize all of that.”
___
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.