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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Politics & government fact checks

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

12,751 published reviews in this topic

FACTLYPolitics & government

Real-life story of Malappuram district collector Rani Soyamoi

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a viral post presenting an alleged conversation between school students and Malappuram district collector Rani Soyamoi as a real account of her life. In the story, Soyamoi is said to describe childhood hardship working in a mica mine and explain why she does not wear makeup. FACTLY’s review says it checked the veracity of both the conversation and the story attributed to the collector. The central evidence reported is that the account came from fiction, not from the collector’s life: FACTLY identifies it as an excerpt from Malayali writer Hakeem Morayur’s short-story collection *Three Women*. The review says Morayur confirmed on Facebook that the viral story was taken from his collection and that the story, titled “Shining Faces,” uses Rani Soyamoi as its main character. It also reports that he shared an image of the story from the book to support that clarification. The post’s image does not establish that the story is about Soyamoi. FACTLY identifies the person pictured as Shainamol IAS, who had previously worked as Malappuram collector. Thus, the review distinguishes the fictional character and story from the real official whose photograph was reused in the post.

Vishvas NewsPolitics & government

Congress MLA Anil Upadhyay ji has spoken the truth after all.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim accompanied a video of a man praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and presented him as Congress MLA Anil Upadhyay. Vishvas News investigated the identity of the man in that video. Its review reports that the claim was false: the man was Mohan Chandra Pandey, who said he did not belong to any political party. The review also reports that Congress spokesperson Abhimanyu Tyagi said the man had no connection with the party. These findings contradict the claim’s identification of the speaker as a Congress MLA. [S1]

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Seeman not asked to ban BJP

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The review investigated a social-media news card attributed to Naam Tamilar Katchi coordinator Seeman. The card claimed he called Annamalai a “disgraceful politician,” said the BJP should be banned, and urged Annamalai’s arrest over an alleged attempt to cause religious conflict using a student’s death. The article says versions of the card circulated with Thanthi TV and ABP Nadu logos.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Edappadi Palanisamy not issued statement to arrest Annamalai

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a news card alleging that former Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palanisamy had issued a statement calling for BJP Tamil Nadu leader Annamalai to be arrested. The review places the card in the context of the controversy over Lavanya, a student at a Christian school near Thirukattupalli who died by suicide. It says that many claims about the case were circulating on social media, some of them rumors. (“பாஜக தமிழ்நாடு தலைவர் அண்ணாமலையை கைது செய்ய வேண்டும் என வலியுறுத்தி முன்னாள் முதலமைச்சர் எடப்பாடி பழனிசாமி அறிக்கை வெளியிட்டதாக ஒரு செய்தி பரவுகிறது.”; “திருக்காட்டுப்பள்ளி அருகே உள்ள கிறிஸ்தவப் பள்ளி ஒன்றில் படித்த மாணவி லாவண்யா தற்கொலை செய்துகொண்ட விவகாரம் சமூக வலைதளங்களில் பெரும் சர்ச்சையை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது. இதுபற்றி நாள்தோறும் புதுப்புது தகவல்கள் பகிரப்படுகின்றன. அவற்றில் பலவும் வதந்தியாகவே உள்ளன.”) As its key evidence, the review reports that News 7 Tamil had already denied publishing the news card. It concludes that the specific item was false. The excerpt does not describe additional verification steps or provide the underlying denial, so it supports the review’s account of the outlet’s denial but does not allow further detail about how that denial was checked. (“அந்த வரிசையில் பகிரப்படும் மற்றொரு போலியான செய்தியே மேற்கண்ட நியூஸ் கார்டு. ‘’இதனை நாங்கள் வெளியிடவில்லை,’’ என்று நியூஸ் 7 தமிழ் ஊடகம் ஏற்கனவே மறுப்பு தெரிவித்துள்ளது.”; “Result: False”)

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: ex minister Jayakumar not challenged bjp cadre to come to his house

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a social-media news card saying former minister Jayakumar challenged BJP members to come to his house, where he would prove the “manliness” of the AIADMK. The review says it investigated the authenticity of that card and found the report that Jayakumar issued such an invitation was not genuine. The review places the card in the aftermath of BJP MLA Nainar Nagendran’s remarks about AIADMK members’ conduct in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. It says Nagendran had criticized them for hesitating to speak against the ruling DMK, and that AIADMK members responded with strong criticism. The review identifies this controversy as the setting in which the purported Jayakumar challenge began circulating; it does not present the card as an authentic statement by him. For its verification, the review reports that it spoke with Sukitha, a digital-section administrator at News7 Tamil, and says that conversation confirmed the card was fabricated using News7 Tamil’s name. The excerpt does not provide a recording, transcript, or further details of that conversation, so the described confirmation is the evidence the review itself gives for its conclusion.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: misinformation shared as annamalai told bjp wont help for tamil nadu people

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The review examined a social-media news card attributed to Polimer News. The card alleged that BJP state president Annamalai had said Tamil Nadu’s people would not receive help because they had not voted for the BJP. The article says the card was being shared as genuine and describes it as a false story circulating in Annamalai’s name. (“பாஜகவுக்கு ஓட்டு போடாததால் தமிழ்நாடு மக்களுக்கு நல்லது செய்ய மாட்டோம்,” என்று பாஜக மாநில தலைவர் அண்ணாமலை கூறினார் என்று ஒரு செய்தி சமூக வலைதளங்களில் பரவுகிறது.) Fact Crescendo reports that it contacted Polimer News’s digital division and showed its staff the card. The staff responded that it was fake and that Polimer had not published it. That evidence directly addresses the card’s claimed source: it supports the conclusion that the circulating card was not a Polimer News publication. (“இந்த நியூஸ் கார்டை பார்வையிட்ட அவர்கள், ‘’இது போலியான செய்தி; நாங்கள் வெளியிடவில்லை,’’ என்றனர்.”) The excerpt does not describe independent verification of whether Annamalai ever made the quoted statement; its stated check is whether Polimer News published the card. Its conclusion is that the card attributed to him was not issued by that television outlet. (“எனவே, அண்ணாமலை பெயரில் பரவும் மேற்கண்ட நியூஸ் கார்டை பாலிமர் தொலைக்காட்சி வெளியிடவில்லை என்று சந்தேகமின்றி தெளிவாகிறது.”)