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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.

12,754 published reviews in this topic

Deutsche Presse-AgenturPolitics & government

Ein Foto von Alain Berset wird bei Facebook geteilt, auf dem im Hintergrund Puppen in Spitalbetten zu sehen sind (hier archiviert). In der Bildlegende steht, der Bundesrat sei zu Besuch in einem Spital in Neuenburg. Im Post wird ersichtlich, dass blick.ch das Bild mit der Legende so veröffentlicht hat.

Publisher’s rating: Auf dem Foto ist Berset in einem Übungsraum der Haute École Arc Santé zu sehen. Anhand der medizinischen Puppen können Situationen in Spitälern so realistisch wie möglich nachgebildet werden, sodass angehenden Gesundheitsfachkräfte üben können. Die Bildlegende von blick.ch stammt vom 16. Dezember 2020 und ist nicht korrekt. blick.ch hat die Bildlegende mittlerweile berichtigt und eine Entschuldigung publiziert.

The Facebook post presented a photo of Alain Berset with medical mannequins in beds and said he was visiting a hospital in Neuchâtel. The investigation distinguishes two locations on Berset’s 16 December 2020 visit: the Pourtalès hospital, which was on his itinerary, and the Haute École Arc Santé, where the photograph was taken. The image therefore did not show him in the hospital as the caption claimed. (S1: “Am 16. Dezember 2020 besuchte Berset den Kanton Neuenburg. Auf dem Programm stand der Besuche des Spitals Pourtalès in Neuenburg, das zum Réseau hospitalier neuchâtelois (RHNe) gehört. Anschliessend war Berset an der Hochschule Haute École Arc Santé, wo angehende Pflegefachkräfte ausgebildet werden.”) The investigation reports that Keystone-SDA photographer Laurent Gilliéron accompanied Berset and his delegation. Gilliéron said the photo was taken at the school, not at Pourtalès, and that he had captioned it correctly. The described setting was a practical training room: students use the mannequins to practise realistic medical scenarios, including resuscitation with a defibrillator. (S1: “Der Fotograf von Keystone-SDA, Laurent Gilliéron, durfte den Bundesrat und seine Delegation beim Besuch im Kanton Neuenburg begleiten. Gilliéron berichtet, dass das gezeigte Foto nicht im Spital Pourtalès, sondern an der Haute École Arc Santé aufgenommen wurde und er das Bild korrekt beschriftet hat”) The review says blick.ch published the incorrect caption with a photo gallery on the same day as the visit. After readers reacted skeptically, the outlet corrected the caption and apologized, clarifying that Berset was in the school’s practice room rather than a hospital. The review also notes that the image continued circulating on social media with the erroneous caption even after the correction. (S1: “blick.ch veröffentlichte am gleichen Tag, dem 16. Dezember 2020, eine Bildstrecke und setzte unter das Bild irrtümlicherweise eine falsche Bildlegende. Gemäss der Legende soll sich der Bundesrat in einem Neuenburger Spital aufhalten. Aufgrund von skeptischen Reaktionen korrigierte blick.ch die Legende, entschuldigte sich für den Fehler und schrieb, dass sich Berset bei der Aufnahme des Fotos im Übungsraum der Haute École Arc Santé aufhalte und nicht in einem Spital.”)

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Tamil Nadu minister Mafoi Pandiarajan interview was misinterpreted

Publisher’s rating: False

The review investigated a Facebook post published on December 27, 2020, that paired a Sun News video with the assertion that Pandiarajan had said Nadda would announce the BJP–AIADMK alliance’s chief-ministerial candidate. The review says Pandiarajan had actually told reporters that the alliance’s leader would be announced by Nadda within a day or two: “அந்த கூட்டணியின் தலைவர் யார் என்பதை ஜே.பி.நட்டா இன்னும் ஓரிரு தினங்களில் அறிவிப்பார்” (“J. P. Nadda will announce who the leader of that alliance is in another day or two”). The distinction is the subject of the fact-check: the reported remark concerned the alliance’s leader, not its chief-ministerial candidate. The review says the Sun News report had presented the remark as referring to the candidate, and that Pandiarajan objected on Twitter, saying Sun News was spreading incorrect news. It also reports that the video itself showed him speaking about the alliance leader, and that Sun News had amended the caption on its Facebook post. Despite that correction, the review says other Facebook users continued sharing the misleading version. Its conclusion was that the claim mixed truth with falsehood.

Vishvas NewsPolitics & government

నిరసన తెలిపిన రైతులకు తన మనోహరమైన చిరునవ్వుతో సేవ చేయడానికి దేవుడు ఈ అందమైన దేవదూతను పంపాడు. #FarmersProtest #FarmBill

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The post attributed to Avinash Jain presented a photograph of a child serving food as a scene from the farmers’ protest, accompanying it with a message that the child had been sent to serve protesting farmers. Vishvas News investigated that specific photograph and claim, concluding that the image was not connected to the ongoing protest. To trace the image, the investigation says it used Google reverse image search and found the photograph in a post by the page Guru Ka Langar dated July 14, 2017. That post identified the location as near Paonta Sahib Gurdwara. The review also reports speaking with Dainik Jagran correspondents covering protests at the Singhu and Tikri borders. They said the photograph did not depict the areas they were reporting from; the Singhu correspondent cited differences in the serving plates and terrain, while the Tikri correspondent noted that the road in the photo was not brick. The review says it could not independently establish the photograph’s origin, so the location attribution rests on the 2017 post it found. Its central finding is narrower and directly relevant to the claim: the image was already online in 2017 and did not show the ongoing farmers’ protest.

Vishvas NewsPolitics & government

ಪಾಕಿಸ್ತಾನದ ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತ ಮೋದಿಯವರನ್ನು ವರ್ಣಿಸಿದ ರೀತಿ

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim refers to a video shared with the Kannada caption “ಪಾಕಿಸ್ತಾನದ ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತ ಮೋದಿಯವರನ್ನು ವರ್ಣಿಸಿದ ರೀತಿ…”—rendered in the review as saying that a Pakistani journalist was talking about Modi. The review’s central question was whether the person in that video was in fact a Pakistani journalist. It concluded that the person was Harshavardhan Jain, an Indian motivational speaker, rather than a Pakistani journalist. The distinction matters: the video shows someone praising Modi, but the review disputes the caption’s identification of that speaker. To investigate, Vishvas News says it examined the video, captured screen grabs using InVID, and searched those images with Google reverse image search. It reports finding the original video on a YouTube channel named Harshavardhan Jain, uploaded on August 14, 2020. The review also says the channel’s About section and Jain’s Instagram profile described him as a motivational speaker, business management consultant, and leadership coach, and placed him in Jaipur. The review additionally reports contacting Jain’s office. His assistant, Trilok Sharma, identified the speaker as Jain and rejected the claim that the video showed a Pakistani journalist. Together, the reported match to an earlier upload on Jain’s channel, the profile information, and the office’s identification support the review’s conclusion that the caption misidentified the person in the video.

Vishvas NewsPolitics & government

అమిత్ షా బెంగాల్ పర్యటన కారణంగా మమతా బెనర్జీకి పిచ్చి పట్టింది.’ రూపేష్ తివారీ అనే యూజర్‌ ఇలా పేర్కొన్నారు: “బెంగాల్‌లోని తృణమూల్ కాంగ్రెస్ నాయకుల ఫిరాయింపులు మమతా దీదీ యొక్క మానసిక సమతుల్యతను దెబ్బతీసింది, ఈ వీడియో చూడండి

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim attached to the video was that Amit Shah’s visit to West Bengal had upset Mamata Banerjee; another accompanying post said defections by Trinamool Congress leaders had affected her mental balance. Vishvas News investigated whether the video supported that claim and concluded it was old and unrelated to Amit Shah’s recent visit. The review identifies the Facebook post as one shared by Vikram Lakhara and quotes the accompanying allegation: “అమిత్ షా బెంగాల్ పర్యటన కారణంగా మమతా బెనర్జీకి పిచ్చి పట్టింది.” To trace the clip, the investigators uploaded it to the InVID tool, collected screenshots, and searched those images with Google reverse image search. They found a video uploaded to a YouTube channel seven years earlier. Its description said TMC leaders had created trouble in the assembly; comments under it identified the incident as having occurred in 2006. The review also reports that Dainik Jagran Bengal bureau chief J. K. Vajpayee told them the viral post was fake and the video was old. The review is careful about what this evidence establishes: it says Vishvas News could not independently determine when the video was recorded or exactly how old it was. It nevertheless concluded that the clip was old and had no connection to Amit Shah’s recent West Bengal tour. Thus, the investigation challenges the post’s use of the video as evidence of a reaction to that visit; it does not establish the precise recording date.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Misinformation being shared as Justin Trudeau participated in Indian farmers protest

Publisher’s rating: False

The review investigates a photo shared with the claim that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined a Canadian protest in support of Indian farmers. It describes the image as showing Trudeau seated among Sikhs and says the accompanying post presented him as participating in their protest against India’s farm laws. The review distinguishes that allegation from Trudeau’s expressed support for the farmers: it says he had voiced support, but examines whether this particular photograph showed him at a protest. To check the image’s provenance, the publisher says it ran a reverse-image search. It found the photograph had appeared in news and social media from 2015, and identified an earlier Hindustan Times article carrying it. The review then says it searched Reuters, which it identifies as the photograph’s source. Reuters’ record dated the image to November 11, 2015, and described Trudeau as attending an event hosted by the Sikh community at an Ottawa gurdwara. That provenance places the photograph five years before the post the review discusses, which Tamil Muslim Media shared on December 23, 2020. The review concludes that the image was taken in 2015 and was subsequently presented as if it depicted participation in a farmers’ protest. Its evidence addresses the photo used for the claim; the excerpt does not establish whether Trudeau attended any other such event.

FACTLYPolitics & government

Photo of a rally conducted in West Bengal in support of ongoing farmers’ protest

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a photo circulating during the farmers’ protest over new agriculture legislation, presented as showing a rally in West Bengal in support of the protesting farmers. FACTLY’s review identifies the image as a photograph of a different event: a 2019 CPI(M) rally in West Bengal, organized against Government of India policies. The review says the image was not connected to the ongoing farmers’ protest. [S1: “A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as that of a rally conducted in West Bengal in support of farmers. In the wake of ongoing farmers’ protest over the new agriculture legislation, this photo is going viral on social media.”; S1: “This photo was captured during a rally conducted by the CPI(M) in West Bengal in 2019. The rally was organized by CPI(M) against the policies being implemented by the Government of India. This photo has nothing to do with the ongoing farmers’ protest.”] To check the image’s provenance, the review says it conducted a reverse image search and found a similar photo in a 9GAG report, which described it as a 2019 labourers’ rally organized by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). That report located the rally in Kolkata on 11 December 2019. [S1: “On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in a report published in 9GAG website. It is reported as the 2019 rally of labourers, organised by Communist Party of India (Marxist) against the policies of Government of India. This rally took place at Kolkata on ‘11 December 2019’.”] The review also cites a post by CPI(M) West Bengal using the same photo and identifying it as an image from the party’s labour rally in Kolkata on 11 December 2019. Together, the reported image-search result and the party’s post support the distinction between the depicted labour rally and the separate farmers’ protest. [S1: “Sharing the same photo, CPI (M) West Bengal posted a tweet on their official handle. In the tweet, it is mentioned as the photo from the Labour rally organised by them on ‘11 December 2019’ in Kolkata, West Bengal.”]

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Altered picture being shared as Dharmapuri MP Senthil did hair cut for MK Stalin

Publisher’s rating: Altered

Fact Crescendo investigated a social-media photograph circulated with the claim that Dharmapuri MP Senthil had cut M.K. Stalin’s hair. The review places the circulation amid election campaigning in Tamil Nadu, when the two parties had begun campaigning, and says the image was being shared as depicting Senthil and Stalin together in that way. The review says it compared the circulating image with a genuine photograph that Senthil had shared on Twitter. According to its account, that original showed Senthil campaigning in the Dharmapuri constituency; the circulated version had been edited to make it appear to show the haircut scene. The review mentions an archived link to the original photograph, but the supplied excerpt does not include the image or details about how the comparison was performed, so those cannot be independently described here. On the evidence it reports, the photograph does not document Senthil cutting Stalin’s hair: the review identifies it as an altered image based on a campaigning photograph. Its conclusion concerns this specific image and the claim attached to it.

Vishvas NewsPolitics & government

Photo from from the ongoing farmers protest.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a particular picture of a girl serving langar. A Facebook post by Avinash Jain presented it as showing someone serving protesting farmers during the ongoing farmers’ protest. Vishvas News says it investigated that image and found the claim false, rather than disputing that the picture shows langar being served.

Vishvas NewsPolitics & government

person shown in the video is Congress MLA, Anil Upadhyay. In the video, the person can be heard supporting the Farmer’s Bill.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The review examined a viral video shared with the claim that the person shown was Congress MLA Anil Upadhyay and could be heard supporting the Farm Bills. It concluded that the person was not an MLA named Anil Upadhyay, but Sudhir Pandey, a contractor. Pandey’s identity and political affiliation matter to the claim: the review reports that he identified himself as the person in the video and said he was not currently associated with any party, though he supported the BJP. (S1: “A video doing rounds on social media claims that the person shown in the video is Congress MLA, Anil Upadhyay. In the video, the person can be heard supporting the Farmer’s Bill.”; “it was found that the person shown in the video is not a Congress MLA but a contractor by profession, Sudhir Pandey.”; “I am the one in the video. My name is Sudhir Kumar Pandey. I live in Delhi, I am not associated with any party currently. However, I am a big supporter of BJP as a political party.”) To trace the footage, the review noted the Khabar India logo and watermark in the viral clip, then used InVID to obtain screenshots and conducted a Google reverse-image search using “Khabar India.” It says this led to an extended version on Khabar India’s YouTube channel, uploaded November 28, 2020. The review reports that Khabar India’s office identified the person in the video as Sudhir Pandey, not an MLA. (S1: “On carefully observing the video, the logo of Khabar India and the watermark of Khabar India News can be seen.”; “Vishvas News performed Google reverse image search of the screengrabs obtained through the InVID tool. We use the keyword Khabar India during Google reverse image search.”; “The video was uploaded on November 28, 2020.”; “We contacted the office of ‘Khabar India‘. They told that the person appearing in the viral video is not an MLA, but Sudhir Pandey, who is a contractor by profession.”) The review also says it found no Congress leader named Anil Upadhyay and that the Anil Upadhyay entries it found on Myneta.info were not associated with Congress. Together with the identification by the video’s publisher and Pandey’s own confirmation, this evidence contradicts the video’s attribution to a Congress MLA. The excerpt establishes that the video was described as showing support for the Farm Bill, but does not separately document an analysis of what was said in the footage. (S1: “During the investigation, we did not find any leader by the name Anil Upadhyay who is associated with the Congress.”; “On the Myneta.info website, we found mention of several leaders named Anil Upadhyay, but none of them were associated with the Congress.”)

FACTLYPolitics & government

Central government has issued guidelines saying ration card would be cancelled if not used for three months

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

FACTLY examined a social-media post accompanying a news clipping that alleged the central government had issued guidelines to cancel ration cards if they were not used for three months. Its stated finding was that no such central-government guidelines had been issued. The review also reports that PIB publicly rejected the same claim, distinguishing the alleged national rule from rules that individual states may make. (The review identifies the post and claim as: “A post accompanying a clipping of a news article which says that according to the latest central government guidelines, ration card would be cancelled if not used for three months is being widely shared across social media platforms.” It reports PIB’s response: “the central government has not issued any guidelines saying ration cards not used for three months will get cancelled.”)