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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

NewtralPolitics & government

Pedro Sánchez ha puesto a su hermano al frente de la dirección de fotografía del BOE

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim was that Pedro Sánchez had put his brother, David Sánchez-Castejón, in charge of photography at Spain’s Official State Gazette (BOE). Newtral reports that the claim spread through posts based on a screenshot from 12minutos, a site where users can create content as a joke. It also notes that the screenshot gave the brother’s surnames incorrectly. To check the claim, Newtral says it contacted the Ministry of the Presidency and Relations with the Courts, which oversees the BOE. The ministry told the outlet that Sánchez’s brother was not a BOE photographer. The review also reports that the Badajoz provincial government confirmed David Sánchez-Castejón’s actual role: coordinator of Musical Conservatory Activities in its Culture Area. The article says the post first appeared in August 2018, after Pedro Sánchez took office, and went viral again when a new government was formed. The evidence described in the review therefore identifies the screenshot as joke-site content and provides direct statements about the brother’s role from the ministry and the provincial government.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: H Raja elected as TN BJP president

Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False

The review examined a certificate circulating on social media that purported to show H. Raja had won an election for Tamil Nadu BJP president. It says the post claimed the election took place on January 17, 2020, and notes that H. Raja’s appointment had been the subject of speculation. The review distinguishes that speculation from the specific assertion it checked: that an election had occurred and that Raja had won it. The article says Tamilisai Soundararajan had become Telangana governor and that no successor had yet been appointed as Tamil Nadu BJP president. (The review states: “தமிழக பா.ஜ.க-வுக்கு இதுவரை தலைவர் நியமிக்கப்படவில்லை.”) To assess the certificate, the investigators checked how Raja spelled his name on his official Twitter account and in an election affidavit, then used reverse-image search to look for the certificate’s source. They report that the name spelling on the circulating image differed from those records, and that the image matched a certificate announcing the result of a Karnataka BJP state-president election issued on January 16, 2020. The review says the Karnataka certificate had been posted by the Karnataka BJP and retweeted by the person elected there. It concludes that the Karnataka certificate had been altered by replacing the Karnataka leader’s name with H. Raja’s. (The article states: “கர்நாடக மாநில தலைவர் பெயரை நீக்கிவிட்டு, எச்.ராஜா பெயரை தவறாக சேர்த்து சமூக ஊடகங்களில் பகிர்ந்திருப்பது தெரிந்தது.”) The review also reports that a senior Tamil Nadu BJP media official described the certificate as fabricated. Its conclusion is limited to the certificate and the claim that Raja won a Tamil Nadu BJP leadership election: it explicitly says it did not investigate whether Raja might later be appointed. Thus, the evidence presented challenges the purported proof of an election victory; it does not establish that Raja could never be appointed. (The review states: “எச்.ராஜா தமிழக பா.ஜ.க தலைவராக வெற்றி பெற்றார் என்று வெளியான சான்றிதழ் எடிட் செய்யப்பட்டது என்பது உறுதியாகி உள்ளது.”)

FACTLYPolitics & government

Obama holding the portrait of Ambedkar.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a widely shared image said to show former U.S. President Barack Obama holding a portrait of Ambedkar. FACTLY reports that the image was altered: in the original photograph, gloves—not Ambedkar’s portrait—were in the relevant spot. To investigate the image’s provenance, FACTLY says it used Yandex Reverse Image Search and found that the circulating version was cropped. The review identifies a fuller version on Flickr, described as “Johnson give gloves to Obama,” and reports that photographs and videos related to the event were also available. These findings connect the circulated image to a photograph in which Obama was holding gloves, rather than the portrait shown in the altered version.

FACTLYPolitics & government

A video of Karnataka CM’s spat with the Panchamasali Mutt seer on the stage over CAA.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The post presented footage of Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa reacting angrily on stage as a confrontation over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). FACTLY’s review says the seer in the video, Vachanananda Swami of Panchamasali Mutt, did not speak about CAA. Instead, he warned that the Panchamasali Lingayat community might withdraw its support if Yediyurappa did not back MLA Murugesh Nirani. The video therefore showed a real dispute, but the post misrepresented its subject. The review identifies the setting as the Hara Jatre event in Harihar, in Davangere district, on 14 January 2020. It reports that the seer made the warning there and that Yediyurappa rose from his seat to leave the stage before being pacified. FACTLY says it searched a screenshot from the post and found reporting about the event; it also points to an ANI post describing the demand for ministership for Nirani and the threatened loss of community support. Those details support the distinction between the dispute shown in the footage and the claim that it concerned CAA.

FACTLYPolitics & government

Jashodaben protesting against CAA, NRC & NPR.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a photo said to show Jashodaben protesting against CAA, NRC and NPR. FACTLY reports that the image instead shows her at Azad Maidan in Mumbai protesting the demolition of slums during monsoon. On that account, the photo does not depict an anti-CAA protest, so it does not support the claim that she was protesting against CAA, NRC or NPR.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Modi wife Jashodaben participates in Anti-CAA protest

Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False

The review examined social-media posts claiming that Jashodaben had joined a protest against India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The posts paired her image with a caption describing her as protesting against Modi. The investigation searched for reporting about her alleged participation and found that a Maalai Malar article had discussed the viral claim. The review says that article treated the post as a question and reported that the claim was false, rather than confirming her presence at an anti-CAA demonstration. (S1: “நிலைத் தகவலில், “மோடிக்கு எதிராக போராடும் மோடியின் மனைவி. இது தேவயா” என்று குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.”; “மாலை மலர் கேள்விக் குறியோடு செய்தி வெளியிட்டுள்ளது.”; “குடியுரிமை திருத்தச் சட்டத்துக்கு எதிரான போராட்டத்தில் யசோதா பென் பங்கேற்றார் என்று பகிரப்படும் செய்தி தவறானது என்று அதில் குறிப்பிட்டிருந்தனர்.”) To check the image’s origin, the review looked for evidence about where and why it was taken. It reports finding news coverage of Jashodaben attending a protest in Mumbai in February 2016 on behalf of people living in a slum area, opposing the demolition of slum settlements during the rainy season. The review says the same image had appeared in 2016 coverage, including in Dinamalar, and concludes that the image was from that earlier protest—not evidence that she joined an anti-CAA protest. (S1: “அப்போது 2016ம் ஆண்டு மும்பையில் குடிசைப் பகுதியில் வாழும் மக்களுக்கான போராட்டம் ஒன்றில் யசோதா பென் கலந்துகொண்டது தொடர்பான பல செய்திகள் கிடைத்தன.”; “மழைக் காலங்களில் குடிசைப் பகுதிகள் இடிக்கப்படுவதைக் கண்டித்து போராட்டம் நடந்ததாக 2016ம் ஆண்டு பிப்ரவரி மாதம் 12ம் தேதி வெளியான செய்திகள் கிடைத்தன.”; “இதே படத்தை 2016ம் ஆண்டு தினமலர் உள்ளிட்ட பல ஊடகங்கள் வெளியிட்டிருந்தது தெரியவந்தது.”) The review also notes a limitation in one item of coverage: Maalai Malar gave February 14, 2016 as the image date but, according to the review, supplied no supporting evidence for that date. The review’s conclusion instead rests on its reported discovery of earlier coverage linking the same image to Jashodaben’s participation in the Mumbai slum-residents’ protest. (S1: “இந்த புகைப்படம் 2016ம் ஆண்டு பிப்ரவரி 14ம் தேதி எடுக்கப்பட்டது என்று குறிப்பிட்டிருந்த மாலை மலர், அதற்குண்டான எந்த ஒரு ஆதாரத்தையும் அந்த கட்டுரையில் அளிக்கவில்லை.”; “2016ல் தினமலர் உள்ளிட்ட ஊடகங்களில் செய்தி வெளியாகி இருப்பது கண்டறியப்பட்டுள்ளது.”)

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Pon Radhakrishnan threatens to quit from BJP

Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False

The review investigated a Facebook post that used a news card bearing Thanthi TV’s name. The card attributed to Pon Radhakrishnan a threat to leave the BJP unless public examinations for fifth- and eighth-grade students were canceled. The review says the post circulated widely, with some users also questioning whether it was genuine. (S1: “அதில், 5 மற்றும் 8ம் வகுப்பு பொதுத் தேர்வை ரத்து செய்யாவிட்டால் பாஜகவிலிருந்து வெளியேறுவேன், என்று பொன்.ராதாகிருஷ்ணன் சொன்னதாக எழுதியுள்ளனர்.”) The review reports that similar fabricated cards attributed statements to Pon Radhakrishnan and several other politicians, including Tamilisai Soundararajan and H. Raja. It also notes that the card shortened his name to “Pon. Radha,” which the reviewers considered an unlikely form for a media report. These observations were presented as evidence that the card was part of a batch of fakes, rather than an authentic Thanthi TV item. (S1: “பொன். ராதாகிருஷ்ணன் என்பதை, பொன்.ராதா என சுருக்கி எழுதியுள்ளனர்.”) The reviewers say they uploaded the card to FotoForensics for analysis and then asked a friend on Thanthi TV’s editorial team about it. According to the review, that contact said the channel had not published such a report and that the item was fake. The review’s conclusion is that the Facebook post shared a fabricated news card, not that Radhakrishnan made the attributed threat. (S1: “இப்படி எந்த செய்தியும் தந்தி டிவி வெளியிடவில்லை. இது போலியான செய்தி,” என்றார்.)