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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

Myth DetectorPolitics & government

ფეისბუქ-გვერდმა „მოგიტ*ანთ ოპოზიცია“ საკუთარ გვერდზე 2019 წლის 17 ნოემბერს ატვირთული ვიდეო, შემდეგი აღწერით გააზიარა: „ვაშაძის მიმართვა ხალხს“. 16-წამიან ვიდეოში ჩანს, თუ როგორ ესაუბრება გრიგოლ ვაშაძე ჟურნალისტებს 2019 წლის 17 ნოემბერს გამართულ საპროტესტო აქციაზე. ვიდეოში ვაშაძე ამბობს: “ოპოზიციური პარტიების აზრი, უკაცრავად თქვენთან ამ ლექსიკისთვის, ფეხებზე მკიდია, არასამთავრობო ორგანიზაციების განცხადებები ფეხებზე მკიდია, მოქალაქის აზრი ფეხებზე მკიდია, იშიმშილებთ და იქნებით უუფლებო, სადამდეც ჩვენ გვენდომება, ეს არის.”

Publisher’s rating: ფეისბუქ-გვერდ „მოგიტ*ანთ ოპოზიციას“ მიერ გავრცელებული ვიდეო მანიპულაციურია, რადგან გრიგოლ ვაშაძის ციტატა არასრულად, უკონტექსტოდ ვრცელდება. გვერდს ვაშაძის 3-წუთიანი საუბრიდან ამოჭრილი აქვს 16-წამიანი მონაკვეთი, რაც მის ორიგინალ ვიდეოში ნათქვამ სიტყვებს აზრს უცვლის. რეალურად გრიგოლ ვაშაძე ამ სიტყვებით თვითონ კი არ მიმართავს ხალხს, არამედ მათ საქართველოს მოქალაქეებისადმი ბიძინა ივანიშვილის დამოკიდებულების წარმოსაჩენად იყენებს. გავრცელებული ვიდეო გრიგოლ ვაშაძისა და “ერთიანი ნაციონალური მოძრაობის” დისკრედიტაციას ისახავს მიზნად.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Tamil Nadu Brahmin Association not praised H Raja

Publisher’s rating: False

The claim concerned a social-media post purporting to show the Tamil Nadu Brahmin Association praising H. Raja for not paying respects at Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar’s memorial. The post was shared with a photograph showing H. Raja with others at the memorial and alleged that he had declined to bow out of caste pride. Fact Crescendo says it examined a post shared by R.G. Saravana Moorthy on November 3, 2020, and notes that similar versions were circulating. The review’s conclusion is that the association had not issued the praise attributed to it. (The review describes the post as: “பசும்பொன் முத்துராமலிங்க தேவர் நினைவிடத்தில் மரியாதை செலுத்தாமல் குலப் பெருமை காத்த எச்.ராஜா என்று தமிழ்நாடு பிராமணர் சங்கம் பாராட்டியதாக ஒரு பதிவு சமூக ஊடகங்களில் பகிரப்பட்டு வருகிறது.”) To check whether the purported statement was genuine, the review says it searched for information about the association’s announcement and found reporting that H. Raja had rejected the claim on his social-media pages. It then located a statement he had posted under the heading “தாம்ப்ராஸ் மறுப்பு” (“Tambrahass denial”). That statement said the association’s name had been misused to circulate false information linking it to H. Raja, and that the association had no connection with the purported announcement. (The statement is quoted in the review: “எங்கள் சங்கத்தின் பெயரை முறைதவறிப் பயன்படுத்தி, பொய்யான அடிப்படையிலும், பாஜக தலைவர் எச்.ராஜா அவர்களை சம்பந்தப்படுத்தியும் வெளியிடப்பட்டுள்ள அந்த மோசடி அறிக்கைக்கும், தமிழ்நாடு பிராமணர் சங்கத்திற்கும் எந்த தொடர்பும் இல்லை என்பதை உறுதிப்படத் தெரிவிக்கிறேன்”) The review also reports that it contacted the association. State policy-propagation secretary K. Ramanathan Iyer said the association had posted a denial when the rumour spread on November 3, sent it to newspapers and television channels, and that its office-bearers shared it. Taken together, the denial and the association representative’s account support the review’s conclusion that the circulating praise was not an association statement. The review does not establish from the excerpts what H. Raja’s conduct at the memorial signifies; its finding addresses the authenticity of the alleged association statement.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: This MK Stalin picture not related with Tuticorin Sterlite Copper Inauguration

Publisher’s rating: False

The review examined a picture circulated as showing M.K. Stalin cutting a ribbon to open the Sterlite plant in Tuticorin. The post paired that picture with an image of a protest and claimed Stalin had opened the plant and later protested against it. The review says it investigated where and when the ribbon-cutting photograph was taken, rather than relying on the post’s caption. It reports using reverse-image search and additional keyword searches to trace the image. Supporting the description of the post, the article says it showed “a photograph of DMK leader M.K. Stalin cutting a ribbon at an opening ceremony” alongside “a photograph of a protest.” (S1: “தி.மு.க தலைவர் மு.க.ஸ்டாலின் திறப்பு விழா ஒன்றில் ரிப்பன் வெட்டும் புகைப்படத்தையும், போராட்டம் நடத்தும் புகைப்படத்தையும் ஒன்று சேர்த்து பதிவு தயாரிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.”) The investigation identified the photograph in The Hindu, which had published it on November 20, 2009. Its caption described Stalin, then deputy chief minister, inaugurating the Samathuvapuram at Ramanoothu—not a Sterlite facility. The article also identifies The Hindu photographer as N. Rajesh. These details connect the image to a different event and location than the claim alleges. (S1: “2009ம் ஆண்டு நவம்பர் 20ம் தேதி இந்த புகைப்படத்தை தி இந்து ஆங்கில நாளிதழ் வெளியிட்டிருந்தது.”; “ராமனூத்து சமத்துவபுரத்தை துணை முதல்வர் திறந்து வைத்தார் என்று கூறப்பட்டிருந்தது.”; “இந்த புகைப்படத்தை தி இந்து புகைப்பட கலைஞர் என்.ராஜேஷ் எடுத்திருந்ததாகவும் குறிப்பிட்டிருந்தனர்.”) On that basis, the review concludes that the picture shows Stalin opening the Samathuvapuram at Ramanoothu and was misleadingly presented as a Sterlite opening ceremony photograph. The article’s conclusion is specific to the image’s provenance and the claim attached to it; the supplied excerpt does not provide further details about the opening event. (S1: “தூத்துக்குடி மாவட்டம் ராமனூத்தில் உள்ள சமத்துவபுரத்தை மு.க.ஸ்டாலின் திறந்து வைக்கும் போது எடுத்த படத்தை ஸ்டெர்லைட் ஆலை திறந்து வைத்த படம் என்று விஷமத்தனமாக பகிர்ந்திருப்பது உறுதியாகிறது.”)

Factcrescendo Sri LankaPolitics & government

රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා ආණ්ඩු බළය ගන්න පිරිත් පැන් වත් කල අවස්ථාවක් ද?

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

The review examines a photograph of Ranil Wickremesinghe and others pouring water into a pond, circulated with claims that Wickremesinghe had poured pirith water to gain political office. It says the image was framed as a contrast with ministers’ later release of pirith water into rivers, which was described as an act seeking blessings for the country. The review’s finding is that the photograph does not show Wickremesinghe performing a ritual to obtain power. To check the image’s context, the publisher reports conducting a reverse-image search. It found a Daily Mirror caption identifying Wickremesinghe as prime minister pouring pirith water into a newly conserved stone pond at the Mahavihara premises in Anuradhapura. The review also describes an earlier social-media photo collection about the pond’s opening and conservation work, which included the same image. These accounts place the act within a conservation-related event, not a campaign to gain office. The review further compares the event with the later political crisis: it says President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa prime minister on October 26, 2018, and Wickremesinghe was sworn in again on December 16. It concludes that the pond event occurred in August, more than two months before the crisis began. Thus, the claim’s political interpretation misrepresents both the event’s documented setting and its timing. The supplied excerpt contains an inconsistency in its account of the Daily Mirror caption’s date, so this summary relies on the review’s stated August timing and does not infer a more precise event date.

El detector / Univision NoticiasPolitics & government

Biden admite fraude en un video

Publisher’s rating: manipulado

The review examines a viral clip presented as showing Joe Biden admit that Democrats had organized extensive election fraud. It reports that the clip was edited to make that appear to be his meaning, while the fuller remarks concerned efforts to prevent fraud. The remarks were made on October 24, when Biden answered a question from Dan Pfeiffer on Pod Save America about what he would say to people who had not yet voted. The article says the video circulated after beginning with a tweet from a Republican National Committee official and was then shared by Eric Trump, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and others. The key check is the missing context around the excerpt. The review explains that the video isolates part of a three-part answer and omits Biden beginning that portion with “en segundo lugar.” In the fuller passage reproduced in the article, Biden described an effort to protect voting and respond to attempts to discourage people from voting; he then referred to having more than a thousand lawyers available to respond to people who believed their voting rights were being restricted. That surrounding material supports the review’s conclusion that his remarks concerned combating election fraud, rather than organizing it. The review characterizes the manipulation as isolating a short segment from a longer video in a way that creates a narrative that does not reflect the event as it occurred. It also reports that Facebook blocked the video and Twitter labeled the tweet carrying it as misleading. The evidence presented is therefore about the editing and omitted context in this particular Biden video—not proof that Biden confessed to an election-fraud operation.

FACTLYPolitics & government

Tejaswi Yadav is conferred with the Youngest political leader award in London

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns an image circulated as evidence that Tejaswi Yadav received a “Youngest political leader” award in London. FACTLY reports that its reverse-image search led to a 2016 tweet by Yadav featuring similar pictures. The tweet described the occasion as a London visit for a knowledge-sharing session with ICE members, when Yadav was Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister. The review also says Yadav shared transcripts of his speech and another image from the interaction on his official Facebook account. It reports that the reviewers could not find news articles saying he had received the award. On that evidence, the image documents an interaction with ICE, not an award ceremony, and the review concludes that the award claim is unsupported and false. The review distinguishes the London award claim from a separate point: it says a news article described Yadav as India’s youngest chief-ministerial candidate, noting that he was 31 and would become the country’s youngest chief minister if elected. That separate description does not establish that he received an award in London.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Fake news being shared on DMK supporter Prasanna

Publisher’s rating: False

The viral post was presented as a tweet by DMK spokesperson Tamizhan Prasanna. It claimed that DMK leader M.K. Stalin had said he did not want votes obtained by applying sacred ash to the forehead. The review says the post circulated alongside an image concerning sacred ash given at Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar’s memorial, and notes that the wording in the purported tweet included a spelling error: “கெத்து” (“style” or “swagger”) was written as “கொத்து.” (S1) The review describes checking Prasanna’s Twitter account. It found a post from him drawing attention to the spelling error in the viral image and accusing its makers of photoshopping it. The review also says that people commenting on the Facebook post called it fake, while the person who shared it claimed Prasanna had posted and then deleted the tweet. (S1) To resolve that conflict, the reviewers contacted Prasanna. He denied posting or deleting the purported tweet and said a fake version was being circulated; the review reports that he had posted about it on his Twitter account. The review concludes that the tweet attributed to him was fabricated. (S1)

FACTLYPolitics & government

Sonu Sood holding a placard in support of RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a photo circulating online that appeared to show actor Sonu Sood holding a placard in support of RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav. FACTLY examined the image and reported that it had been altered: the original photo showed Sood holding a painting, not a political placard. The painting was made by Jamshedpur artist Arjun Das, and the review says it portrayed Sood helping migrant workers during the lockdown. The review describes a reverse-image search as the method used to trace the image. That search led to a post on the official Facebook page of Jamshedpur Mirror, which identified the painting and said Das presented it to Sood on 19 October 2020. FACTLY also found a tweet by Das sharing video of his meeting with Sood, as well as a video of the meeting shared by the YouTube channel Viral Bollywood. These sources support the review’s account of the image’s original context. The review distinguishes the altered photo from Sood’s actual election-related message. It says that in a tweet, Sood urged Bihar voters to use their judgment when voting, but did not publicly endorse a party in the 2020 Bihar elections. The evidence therefore supports the conclusion that the image did not document the claimed show of support for Tejaswi Yadav.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturPolitics & government

Eine Aussage wird Margaret Thatcher zugeschrieben und online verbreitet: «Das Problem am EU-Sozialismus ist, dass ihm irgendwann das Geld der Deutschen ausgeht», soll die ehemalige britische Premierministerin gesagt haben (hier archiviert).

Publisher’s rating: Es gibt keinen Beleg, dass Thatcher die Aussage so getätigt hat. Es existiert zwar ein ähnliches Statement der Premierministerin - allerdings kommen darin weder die EU noch Deutschland vor.

The claim attributes to Margaret Thatcher a remark about EU socialism eventually running out of German money. The review distinguishes that circulating wording from a similar statement it says Thatcher made in a 1976 television interview. In that interview, she was discussing British domestic politics, and the quoted passage referred to socialist governments running out of “other people's money,” not German money. The review says she did not mention Germany in the interview. The review traces the better-known shortened wording—“The trouble with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money”—to the original statement, describing it as shortened but not changed in meaning. It identifies the additions “EU-Sozialismus” and “der Deutschen” as the changes that distort the quotation at issue. Its chronology is relevant: the review notes that the EU was founded in 1993, after Thatcher’s premiership ended in 1990. The evidence presented therefore supports a distinction between a documented, similar remark and the expanded wording attributed to her online.

Satya Priya BNPolitics & government

Viral video of TRS men distributing money

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a video shared by BJP leaders as evidence that TRS leaders were distributing money to voters for the Dubbaka by-election. The original review says the video did show TRS leaders distributing money, but that the footage was not from Dubbaka and was not recent. To investigate the footage, the publisher reports using keyframes from the video in a Google reverse image search. That search surfaced broadcasts by local Telugu television channels, including NTV and CVR News. The review also cites reporting that described an incident during municipal elections in which gifts and money were distributed. The review places the incident in Sattupalli, in Khammam district, during municipal elections in January 2020. It reports that a dispute involved followers of TRS and Congress candidates, and that Congress candidate P. Sambaiah and party workers alleged that former councillor V. Gopi distributed money to voters in ward 14. Thus, the footage showed an alleged money-distribution incident, but the review’s evidence places it in a different election and location from the Dubbaka by-poll claim.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Has MK Stalin criticised Muthuramalinga Thevar

Publisher’s rating: False

The claim concerns a purported statement by MK Stalin about the Pasumbon incident, where he was criticised for not applying sacred ash. The review examined a news card attributed to Puthiya Thalaimurai that quoted Stalin as saying that his decision to let the ash fall was a matter of principle and that he had no need to apologise. The review’s conclusion was that this news card and the attributed statement were false. [S1: “அதில், மு.க.ஸ்டாலின் புகைப்படத்தை இணைத்து, அதில், ‘’பசும்பொன்னில் திருநீற்றை கீழே கொட்டியது என்னுடைய கொள்கை சம்பந்தப்பட்டது. அதற்கு யாரிடமும் மன்னிப்பு கேட்க வேண்டிய அவசியம் இல்லை- மு.க.ஸ்டாலின்,’’ என எழுதப்பட்டுள்ளது.”] To check the card’s provenance, the reviewers searched Puthiya Thalaimurai’s official Facebook page for a matching card dated November 1, 2020. They report finding no such post, though they found other cards about Stalin. They then asked the outlet’s digital head, Manoj, to review the card. According to the review, he said the information was false and that the outlet had not published such a report. [S1: “01.11.2020 அன்றைய தேதியில் புதிய தலைமுறை ஊடகம் இப்படி எதுவும் நியூஸ் கார்டு வெளியிட்டதா என, அவர்களின் அதிகாரப்பூர்வ ஃபேஸ்புக் பக்கத்தில் (@PutiyaTalaimuraiMagazine) தகவல் தேடினோம். ஆனால், இப்படி எதுவும் காண கிடைக்கவில்லை.”] [S1: “குறிப்பிட்ட நியூஸ் கார்டை பார்வையிட்ட அவர், ‘’இது தவறான தகவல். மு.க.ஸ்டாலின் பற்றி இப்படி நாங்கள் செய்தி வெளியிடவில்லை,’’ என்றார்.”] The review distinguishes the underlying criticism of Stalin’s conduct at Pasumbon from the fabricated attribution: it says people criticised him for not applying the sacred ash, while the news card falsely presented him as defending that action in those words. The account therefore addresses the alleged statement, not whether the separate criticism of his conduct occurred. [S1: “மு.க.ஸ்டாலின், பசும்பொன் சென்றபோது, திருநீறு வைக்காமல் அதனைக் கீழே கொட்டிவிட்டதாகப் பலரும் விமர்சித்து வருகின்றனர்.”] [S1: “இதன் பின்னணியில் குறிப்பிட்ட போலி நியூஸ் கார்டை சிலர் தயாரித்து, சமூக வலைதளங்களில் பகிர்ந்து வருகின்றனர்.”]