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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

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Ramadoss accepts that he doesnt have evidence on Murasoli land issue

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a social-media collage alleging that PMK founder Dr. Ramadoss had backed away from his accusation about the land on which the Murasoli office stands. The review describes the collage as combining his photograph with text saying he had no evidence and had spoken only because of an AIADMK statement from 2010; a film still beneath it carried a separate taunt. The post was attributed to a Facebook account and dated November 28, 2019. The review says the underlying dispute followed Ramadoss’s claim that the Murasoli office site was Panchami land. (The review describes the collage’s text as: “முரசொலி ஆதாரம் இல்லை, 2010ல் அதிமுக அறிக்கையில் இருந்ததால் சொன்னேன் – ராமதாஸ் அந்தர்பல்டி”; it identifies the post as published “நவம்பர் 28, 2019 அன்று”.)

Deutsche Presse-AgenturPolitics & government

So wird aus Satire mit der Zeit eine vermeintliche Wahrheit: Seit Jahren geistert im Netz ein sozialistisches Lobgedicht herum, das Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel als Teenager in einer DDR-Jugendzeitschrift geschrieben haben soll. In den Versen prophezeit die angebliche Verfasserin, einmal Regierungschefin der Bundesrepublik werden zu wollen, um das Land in den Bankrott zu treiben.

Publisher’s rating: Das alles ist erfunden - und zwar vor Jahren von der Satire-Zeitschrift «Eulenspiegel».

The claim concerns a poem called “Revolution von oben,” attributed online to Angela Merkel when she was a teenager and said to have appeared in a 1967 issue of the East German children’s magazine Frösi. The dpa review reports that the poem’s supposed discovery was credited to “P. Miehlke” in the satirical magazine Eulenspiegel in April 2012, where it appeared under the heading “Pubertätslyrik der Promis.” The review says the printed poem named Michael Kaiser, an Eulenspiegel contributor, as its actual author. (S1: “Wiederentdeckt haben soll das Gedicht ein gewisser «P. Miehlke» in der Zeitschrift «Eulenspiegel» vom April 2012.”; “Als wirklicher Autor ist unter dem Witz-Gedicht Michael Kaiser angegeben, der auch heute noch für das Satire-Magazin schreibt.”) To check the claimed Frösi provenance, dpa says it searched for evidence in two Berlin libraries, consulting the archived print runs of Frösi and Eulenspiegel. It reports finding no poem in the September or October 1967 Frösi issues, and no other contribution under Merkel’s childhood surname, Angela Kasner. The review notes that “Merkel” was her surname only from 1977. (S1: “In zwei Berliner Büchereien hat die Deutsche Presse-Agentur nach Nachweisen für das Gedicht gesucht.”; “In den «Frösi»-Ausgaben von September und Oktober 1967 ist das Gedicht nicht zu finden - und auch sonst kein Beitrag unter dem Namen Angela Kasner. So hieß die heutige Kanzlerin als Kind. Erst seit 1977 lautet ihr Nachname Merkel.”) The review’s account therefore distinguishes the poem’s fictional magazine attribution from its documented appearance as satire: the cited 2012 Eulenspiegel issue printed it as a joke while giving Frösi, September 1967, as the supposed source. That distinction directly addresses the claim that Merkel wrote the verses as a teenager; the review identifies the satire contributor credited with the poem and reports that the cited original magazine issues did not contain it. (S1: “In der April-Ausgabe des «Eulenspiegel» von 2012 ist das Gedicht tatsächlich auf Seite 95 abgedruckt unter der Rubrik «Pubertätslyrik der Promis» - auch mit der angeblichen Quelle: «Frösi, September 1967».”; “Als wirklicher Autor ist unter dem Witz-Gedicht Michael Kaiser angegeben”)

Pagella PoliticaPolitics & government

«C’erano tre questioni importanti in Italia: il Mes, il Consiglio dei ministri sullo stato di emergenza e dovevamo rendere omaggio alle vittime del maltempo. Al G20, inoltre, mancavano Mike Pompeo e i miei omologhi inglesi e francesi»

Publisher’s rating: Vero

The claim is about Luigi Di Maio’s explanation for not attending the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Nagoya, Japan, on November 22–23, 2019. In an interview, he cited three matters in Italy—the Mes reform, a cabinet meeting about the weather-emergency declaration, and paying tribute to bad-weather victims—and said that the U.S., British and French foreign ministers were also absent. The review reports that Di Maio sent Deputy Minister Emanuela Del Re in his place. The review checked the Italian commitments against the dates of the meeting. It reports that a cabinet meeting took place on November 21 and discussed granting or extending a weather-related state of emergency for some regions. Di Maio also visited Sicilian towns affected by bad weather during the G20. On the Mes, the review distinguishes between formal institutional business and party-political activity: it says there were no institutional appointments or parliamentary debates on the reform during the G20, but that a governing-coalition meeting about it took place on November 22 and Di Maio attended. For the absences, the review describes checking official sources: a U.S. State Department account showed Deputy Secretary John J. Sullivan at the meeting; the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office identified Lord Ahmad as the representative in place of Dominic Raab; and the French foreign ministry had announced that Deputy Minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne would represent France instead of Jean-Yves Le Drian. The review concludes that the stated absences were accurate, while noting that the choice not to attend was Di Maio’s. It therefore treats his account as accurate, with the qualification that the Mes-related commitment was a coalition meeting rather than an institutional or parliamentary appointment.

FACTLYPolitics & government

Uddhav Thackeray bowing and paying tributes to a portrait of Sonia Gandhi.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The review examines a circulated photo claimed to show Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray bowing and paying tribute to a portrait of Sonia Gandhi. It reports that the image was altered: in the original, Thackeray was paying tribute to Balasaheb Thackeray, his father and the Shiv Sena’s founder. To check the image’s provenance, the review says it used Google Reverse Image Search. That search found the same photo in an ANI tweet dated 26 November 2019. The review also points to the same photo in articles by The Hindu and India Today; it quotes The Hindu’s description identifying the subject as Balasaheb Thackeray and the location as his residence, Matoshree, in Mumbai. Taken together, the review’s account of the image comparison and its cited contemporaneous coverage supports its conclusion that the Sonia Gandhi portrait was introduced through editing, rather than appearing in the original photo. The review says the tribute took place after Uddhav Thackeray was selected as the chief minister candidate.

NewtralPolitics & government

José Mujica ha sido fotografiado en Nueva York con una bolsa de Chanel

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerns a photograph circulated as showing former Uruguayan president José “Pepe” Mujica shopping on New York’s Fifth Avenue with a Chanel bag. Newtral’s investigation identifies the circulated image as manipulated. It says the image is reversed: the Chanel bag reads normally, while the street signs at the intersection read backwards. That mismatch indicates the bag does not belong to the underlying photograph. The investigation also describes a reverse-image search that located an earlier photograph of the same group of people crossing a Fifth Avenue crosswalk. In that original image, the signs are the right way around, and Mujica is not among the people shown. Newtral dates that photograph to 2011 and says the fabricated version had been circulating since at least 2013. These comparisons undermine the claim that the image depicts Mujica in New York with the bag. The review also cautions against a separate image circulated as a debunk: a picture of Mujica walking in the countryside with a dog in the background. Newtral says that image was manipulated too; its reverse-image search found an original in which Mujica wears a beret and grey sweater, though the review says it did not find the image from which Mujica had been cut out.

Pagella PoliticaPolitics & government

«Ho oltre il cinquanta per cento di presenze in aula durante i voti. Andate a controllare i tabulati. Quando conta ci sono sempre. Molto più di Salvini, ad esempio»

Publisher’s rating: Nì

The claim concerns Matteo Renzi’s defense against criticism of his absences from Parliament. In an interview with Quotidiano Nazionale, he said he attended more than half of votes, was always present when it mattered, and was more present than Matteo Salvini. The investigation compared those statements with Openparlamento’s records of electronic votes in the Senate from the start of the legislature through November 29, 2019. Those records cover votes in the chamber, not every parliamentary activity; they also cannot distinguish a member who is physically absent from one who is present but does not vote. The review says Renzi’s attendance figure was roughly right only if rounded upward: he participated in 2,507 of 5,571 votes, or 45 percent, rather than more than 50 percent. He was recorded as absent for 40.12 percent and on official mission for 14.88 percent of votes. To assess the claim that Renzi was always present when votes mattered, the review used Openparlamento’s separate category of “key votes,” described as votes important for the subject matter or political significance. Renzi participated in 17 of 50 such votes, or 34 percent. The review gives examples of key votes he missed, including the previous budget law and the confidence vote on the so-called Security Decree bis. Salvini participated in 11 of the same 50 key votes, or 22 percent, so Renzi’s record on that measure was higher, but neither the records nor the examples support the claim that Renzi was always present when it counted. The comparison also needs qualification: Salvini’s overall attendance was lower, at 7 percent, but the records classified him as on mission for 92.1 percent of Senate votes. The review therefore finds that Renzi overstated his overall attendance and was not present for all key votes, while correctly outscoring Salvini on the key-vote measure. Its conclusion reflects that mixed result.

Projeto ComprovaPolitics & government

Pesquisas Mostram Melhora Na Avaliação Positiva Do Governo Bolsonaro

Publisher’s rating: Falso: Artigo manipula dados de pesquisas de opinião para fazer parecer que aprovação de Bolsonaro cresceu. Texto compara pesquisas com metodologias e períodos diferentes e esconde que a desaprovação ao presidente cresceu de forma significativa desde o início do ano nas séries de pesquisas dos três institutos mencionados.

Boatos.orgPolitics & government

Ninguém aguenta mais o #Bandido de 9 dedos. Os militantes do PT chamam Lula de Ladrão em pleno comício.

Publisher’s rating: Boato

The claim presents the video as showing PT supporters calling Lula a thief at a 2019 rally, and adds that people can no longer tolerate him. The review says the posts sharing the video did not provide when or where the supposed rally took place, and describes their wording as lacking reliable sources. It reports that the publisher searched for the video and found that it was not recent and that the shouts were not meant as hostility. According to the review, the recording dates from at least 2017 and captures the supporters’ chant “Lula ladrão, roubou meu coração”—a line expressing affection, not an accusation that Lula had robbed them. The review concludes that the clip was being used out of context: it did not show PT supporters attacking Lula at a 2019 rally or expressing disappointment in him. The review also says the phrase appeared on a shirt and describes its earlier background: an image pairing Lula with a heart and the same phrase emerged in 2016 as a joke by his supporters. It links that joke to a response to an illustration showing Lula in prison clothing, which had appeared on billboards after his first testimony in the Lava Jato operation. The review does not identify the precise date or place where the video was recorded.

NewtralPolitics & government

Las declaraciones subtituladas de Putin en las que critica “el feminismo moderno”

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerns social-media videos whose subtitles portray Vladimir Putin as criticizing “modern feminism.” Newtral says the videos themselves are genuine, but that the subtitles do not match what Putin says. It describes two separate clips, rather than one statement: an interview with Megyn Kelly for NBC, and Putin’s press conference after the 2017 G20 meeting in Hamburg. For the interview clip, the review says the subtitles turn Putin’s remarks into a comparative criticism of “gender ideology.” It identifies the footage as an NBC interview conducted in response to accusations of Russian interference in the U.S. election. Newtral reports that neither the Kremlin transcript nor NBC’s full publication of the interview shows Putin mentioning the subject. For the Hamburg press-conference clip, the review says Putin spoke mainly about cybersecurity and Syria, including Bashar al-Assad, and did not discuss “modern feminism.” It reports that the Kremlin transcript and RT en Español’s live translation likewise do not contain the purported remarks. The evidence described therefore concerns discrepancies between the subtitles and the recorded events’ transcripts or translations—not fabricated video footage.