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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Culture & entertainment fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about culture & entertainment. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

3,169 published reviews in this topic

台灣事實查核中心Culture & entertainment

【錯誤】網傳影片宣稱：「感謝中國，意大利羅馬上空響起義勇軍進行曲」?

Publisher’s rating: 錯誤

The claim concerns a video presented as showing people in Rome thanking China while China’s national anthem played. The investigation says the video was assembled by Chinese state media from seven clips, with the anthem added as background audio. It identifies the underlying event as an Italian public initiative on March 14, 2020: residents went to windows or balconies at noon to applaud healthcare workers, not to thank China. The review states that the video’s footage and sound do not match: the applause is out of rhythm with the music, and the Italian news versions of the corresponding clips contain applause but not the alleged “Grazie Cina” shout. (S1: “查核中心檢視網傳影片，是由中國官媒製作，總長36秒，有七段影片剪輯組合在一起，並搭配不同字卡，背景音效則是中國義勇軍進行曲。”; “網傳影片的原始事件是義大利民間發起，在3月14日中午12點到陽台鼓掌，致敬義大利醫療人員致敬，並非演唱中國義勇軍進行曲向中國致謝。”; “畫面中民眾拍手的節奏明顯對不上背景音樂的節拍，而且是所有拍手的畫面都對不上音樂節拍。”) To establish the footage’s origin and context, the fact-check says it compared the circulating video with reports from Italian outlets AGTW, Corriere TV and The Quint. Those reports describe the March 14 noon applause in Rome as a gesture for healthcare workers. The review reports that six of the seven clips in the circulated video matched footage in Italian media reports; it also notes that some clips were mislabeled as Milan even though two were filmed in Turin. (S1: “查核中心比對網傳影片和上述義大利媒體的新聞影片，可以看到網傳影片的6個片段，都與義大利媒體相同。”; “義大利羅馬民眾透過Whatsapp和社群媒體，在3月14日中午12點，發起快閃活動，民眾打開窗戶或站到陽台鼓掌，向醫護工作人員致敬。”; “片段2和片段3是在都靈區（Torino）聖朱利亞廣場，跟米蘭無關。”) The review also examines the claimed shout separately from the music. It says the circulating video’s caption asserts that someone shouted “Grazie Cina,” but the relevant footage does not show a person making that statement. In one clip, the phrase is audible; the review says a consulted television cameraman found the two-second audio slowed and distorted, and that the matching Italian media clips contain applause without the phrase. These comparisons support the review’s conclusion that the soundtrack and edit give the original applause footage a false interpretation. (S1: “但影片中並沒有拍到任何人喊這一句話。”; “網傳影片編號42的兩秒畫面背景聲音「Grazie Cina」，是慢速後製的聲音，聲音已經嚴重變形，一般人也聽得出來並非正常講話聲音。”; “義大利媒體僅有鼓掌聲音，並沒有這一句「Grazie Cina」。”)

Fact CrescendoCulture & entertainment

Claim: Tamil epic Silappatikaram has Coronavirus reference

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The review examined a viral social-media post claiming that Silappatikaram, a Tamil epic, mentioned coronavirus long before the current outbreak. The post presented a supposed exchange in which Kannagi questions the Pandya king, described it as coming from the epic’s “fourth chapter,” and also circulated a verse attributed to Agastya. The review reports that the post was shared by a user named Tamizhan Sakthiya on March 1, 2020. To check the Kannagi claim, the review describes the epic’s structure: it has three sections, with 30 “kathaigal” (episodes) in total, rather than a fourth chapter. It then locates Kannagi’s address to the Pandya king in the “Vazhakkurai” episode of the Madurai section, after Kovalan has been killed on the king’s order. The review says it examined that passage, which begins “Thera manna seppuvathudaiyen,” and found no line in which Kannagi raises a question about coronavirus. The review also considered the separate Agastya attribution. It cites a Tamil scholar’s assessment, reported by another outlet, that the circulated verse lacked the refinement and linguistic style associated with Siddhar poetry. The review concludes that the social-media post was false, both in claiming a coronavirus reference in Silappatikaram and in attributing the other verse to Agastya.

Fact CrescendoCulture & entertainment

Claim: has director R Sundarrajan passes away

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The review investigated social-media posts claiming that director Sundararajan had died. It reports that the rumor circulated on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, and says Sundararajan appeared in a Facebook post with his son and denied it as a rumor. The excerpt does not provide the original viral post or details about how the review independently verified the denial. The review also describes a possible context for the rumor: it says Sundararajan had recently criticized Rajinikanth’s health and reports that OneIndia attributed the death rumor to retaliation by some Rajinikanth fans. That explanation is presented as reporting about the rumor’s possible motive, not as evidence that the death claim was true. The review concludes that the Facebook post it examined contained false information.

NewtralCulture & entertainment

Isabel Díaz Ayuso tocando una obra de arte ante un cartel de 'por favor, no tocar'

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerns an image presented as showing Isabel Díaz Ayuso touching an artwork while a “Por favor, no tocar” sign is visible behind her. Newtral identifies that image as a montage, rather than a genuine photograph of the scene: the review says the image “Está manipulada.” The review reports that the person who made the montage also posted the original photograph and warned that journalists were sharing the meme as though it were real. Newtral says the original photograph is available on the Casa Real website, which distributed it. It identifies the artist as Miler Lagos and the artwork as *El testigo silencioso*. Together, the account distinguishes the circulated, altered image from the photograph Newtral identifies as the original. The excerpt does not give further details about how the alteration was made or describe a technical image analysis, so no such method can be established from the supplied evidence.

NewtralCulture & entertainment

Victoria Rosell tomándose una ronda de chupitos en un vídeo

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerned a video circulated through WhatsApp and other social networks, said to show Victoria Rosell, then the Government Delegate for Gender-Based Violence, taking a round of shots. The review reports that Spain’s Ministry of Equality told Newtral that none of the women in the video was Rosell. It also states that none of the three women shown was her. The review gives visual comparisons as additional evidence: it describes the women in the video as brunettes, while Rosell is blonde, and says all three have arm tattoos, whereas Rosell does not. It points to photographs from Podemos Canarias and the Congress of Deputies in support of the latter comparison. The excerpt does not identify who the women in the video are or explain who originally recorded it. Its evidence addresses the identification at issue: the ministry’s denial and the reported differences between the women shown and Rosell.

Fact CrescendoCulture & entertainment

Claim: kadhal movie child artist’s present life

Publisher’s rating: Partly False

The review examined a story titled as a report about the current status of the boy who acted in Kadhal. It says the story mentioned that he debuted in Kadhal and later acted in films including Sivakasi, but supplied no information about what happened to him afterward or what he does now. The review describes refreshing the page to check whether the missing material was a browser error and says the same incomplete text remained.