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Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
AN image of a Liverpool striker, Mohamed Salah, with a young Liverpool fan has circulated on X alongside a claim that Salah beat up the fan and took the photo with him thereafter.
The photo was posted by Troll Football on X (formerly Twitter) on February 23, 2024.
In the photo, the fan in question was seen with blood flowing down from his nostrils.
The post has garnered over 18.7 million views, with more than 175,000 likes and over 2,300 comments and has been reposted over 8,000 times as of February 28, 2024.
When one of the commenters asked if it’s true, the claimant said it is and also claimed that he was the cameraman who took the photo.
Also, another X user asked why Salah beat the fan and the Troll Football replied that, “The boy said Mane is better than him.”
In order to establish the accuracy of the post, this researcher from the UDUS Fact-check Club opts to verify the claim.
CLAIM
Image shows Salah with a fan he beats up.
THE FINDINGS
Checks show that the claim is MISLEADING!
When the image was subjected to a Reverse Image search, the results show that the image has been on the internet since 2019.
The young Liverpool fan in the photo was identified as Louis Fowler.
UK’s The Standard newspaper reported on August 11, 2019 that the eleven-year-old Louis Fowler ran into a lamp-post and knocked himself unconscious while trying to keep up with Salah’s car as he left Liverpool Football Club’s Melwood training ground.
It added that Salah turned his Bentley round and came back to check the boy was OK.
“Tearful young Louis posed for a picture with Salah with a bloodied nose which was later re-set at Alder Hey children’s hospital where he shared his story with staff and patients,” the report stated.
It was also reported in 2019 by multiple credible media platforms including The Telegraph and Mail Online. It was also seen here on a Facebook page.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Salah beats up a fan is MISLEADING; media reports show that Liverpool star Mo Salah stopped to help a young fan who broke his nose while excitedly running after his car.
THE candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives for Dekina/Bassa Fender Constituency in Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, Austin Okai has posted a video of people jostling for bread with a claim that the governor of Kwara state, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, dumped bread on bare floor for people to scramble for it in Ilorin.
The post read:
“Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq of Kwara dumped bread on a bare floor for people to scramble for it as if they were dogs? This is incredible and totally unacceptable. Where do we start from? This is where the APC landed Nigerians. Hunger everywhere. dumped bread on a bare floor for people to scramble for it as if they were dogs? This is incredible and totally unacceptable. Where do we start from? This is where the APC landed Nigerians. Hunger everywhere.”
The video was also shared on his Facebook account.
CLAIM
Video shows people scrambling for bread in Ilorin recently.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
Screenshot of the post on X.
When The FactCheckHub subjected the keyframes in the video to Google Reverse Image search, the result shows that the image has been online since January 19, 2023.
A longer version of the video shows that a cross-dresser on Instagram (Toby Twerk), who shot it, said the video shows people jostling for bread during an electioneering campaign ahead of the 2023 presidential election in Ilorin, Kwara State.
At the start of the video, the cross-dresser was observed providing commentary as individuals were filmed flocking in large numbers to grab some breads from a pile of bread loaves provided for party supporters during an election campaign in Ilorin, Kwara State.
However, the viral version of the video has been cut in the middle and circulated on social media with another narrative.
The claim that the video shows people scrambling for bread in Ilorin recently is MISLEADING; the video has been online since January 2023 in the build-up to the Nigeria’s 2023 general election.
AN X handle @Igbohistofacts has claimed that Peter Obi is the first Nigerian presidential candidate to publicly give account of his election campaign funds.
The post read:
Peter Obi, today became the first ever presidential candidate in the history of Nigerian democracy to publicly give account for his campaign funding.
The claim which was posted on February 15, 2024 had garnered over 300,000 views, 17,000 likes, and more than 5,600 reposts as of Sunday, February 25, 2024.
Media outfits reported on February 15, 2024 that the Labour Party’s presidential candidate gave account of the campaign funds that was raised and spent by his campaign organisation, Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation, during the 2023 presidential campaigns.
Aisha Yesufu, who is the chairman of the campaign organisation, while speaking at the public presentation of the fundraising report, said a total of N595,976,994.00 was raised by Nigerians for the Labour Party’s presidential campaign.
CLAIM
Peter Obi is the first presidential candidate to publicly give account of his campaign finances.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE!
Screenshot of the claim posted on X; INSERT: False verdict.
The Electoral Act requires political parties to provide their financial reports to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at predetermined intervals in order to prevent the election process from becoming unduly monetised.
His campaign organisation, the Sowore 2019 Campaign Organisation revealed that it had spent a grand total of N157,884,936.98 for its campaign activities for Nigeria’s 2019 presidential election.
Further findings revealed that Oby Ezekwesili also made her campaign finances public in 2019 before that year’s general election.
Ezekwesili, who was a former minister of education, contested for the presidential seat in 2019 under the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN).
In February 2019, The Guardian reported that despite pulling out of the presidential race a month to the poll, Ezekwesili made the breakdown of her expenses public. According to the report, she spent a total sum of N48 million from October 1, 2018 to February 2, 2019.
Similarly in June 2023, Sowore also gave a breakdown of his party’s campaign expenses during the 2023 general elections where he was also the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC).
TheCable reported that Sowore made this in a statement released by the Sowore Political Action Committee (SPAC) while also tasking other presidential candidates to do same.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Peter Obi is the first presidential candidate to publicly give account of his campaign finances is FALSE; both Omoyele Sowore, the AAC presidential candidate and Oby Ezekwesili, the ACPN presidential candidate had made their campaign finances public prior to Peter Obi’s own.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The findings have been updated to include Oby Ezekwesili as evidence shows public disclosure of her campaign finances.
NewsGuard Technologies Inc. has tracked 713 AI-generated news and information sites operating with little to no human oversight.
A statement from the company stated that its AI Tracking Centre made the discovery while tracking false narratives produced by artificial intelligence tools.
“From unreliable AI-generated news outlets operating with little to no human oversight, to fabricated images produced by AI image generators, the rollout of generative artificial intelligence tools has been a boon to content farms and misinformation purveyors alike.
“This AI Tracking Center is intended to highlight the ways that generative AI has been deployed to turbocharge misinformation operations and unreliable news,” part of the statement read.
It noted that the NewsGuard’s team has identified 713 Unreliable AI-Generated News and information websites, labeled “UAINS,” spanning 15 languages: Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Turkish.
“These websites typically have generic names, such as iBusiness Day, Ireland Top News, and Daily Time Update, which to a consumer appear to be established news sites. This obscures that the sites operate with little to no human oversight and publish articles written largely or entirely by bots — rather than presenting traditionally created and edited journalism, with human oversight.
“The sites have churned out dozens and in some cases hundreds of generic articles, about a range of subjects including politics, technology, entertainment, and travel.
“The articles have sometimes included false claims, including about political leaders (see example below relating to the Israeli Prime Minister). Other false claims relate to celebrity death hoaxes, fabricated events, and articles presenting old events as if they just occurred.
“In many cases, the revenue model for these websites is programmatic advertising under which the ad-tech industry delivers ads without regard to the nature or quality of the website.
“As a result, top brands are unintentionally supporting these sites. Unless brands take steps to exclude untrustworthy sites, their ads will continue to appear on these types of sites, creating an economic incentive for their creation at scale,” it added.
Alongside the sites included in the Tracker, it further stated that NewsGuard analysts also identified a Chinese-government run website using AI-generated text as authority for the false claim that the U.S. operates a bioweapons lab in Kazakhstan infecting camels to endanger people in China.
A claim that women in Lagos state are protesting naked over current economic hardship in Nigeria has been circulating on X.
The claim was accompanied by 30-second footage which was posted by an X user: @ejykmykel1.
In the footage, about five women were seen staging a protest naked with other people standing by while holding Nigerian flag alongside other banners in demonstration.
A Yoruba Fuji song could also be heard playing in the background blurring the audio from the scene.
The caption on the footage posted on X read:
Lagos Women protesting Naked, placing curse on Tunibu over hardship of the Nation.
The post has garnered over 750,000 views, more than 400 likes, over 400 reposts and more than 300 comments as of February 22, 2024.
Video shows Lagos women protesting naked over economic hardship in Nigeria.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub revealed that the claim is MISLEADING!
A keyword search on the words ‘naked women protest’ on Google, provided results of different reports from November 2023.
From the search results displayed, an X post by The Nation Newspaper on November 22 2023, shows a photo of the banner held in the footage from the scene of the protest.
The caption on the post read:
Women protest naked against alleged killings, corruption in Anambra.
The same footage posted on X (formerly Twitter) could be seen here.
Further checks revealed that the video was from a protest in Anambra over cult killings in the state as reported by media platforms, including The Nation newspaper.
The Nation had reported that the protest took place on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 with over 1,000 indigenes of 20 villages in Awka community, Awka South local government area in Anambra state protesting against the incessant killings and attacks by cultists.
Few days after the protest, Daily Trust and Punch newspapers reported that the sponsor of the nude protest, Ozo Nweke, had been arrested as another group from the community accused Nweke, of land grabbing, intimidation, harassment, and rape.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows Lagos women protesting naked over economic hardship in Nigeria is MISLEADING; the video was from a protest in Anambra State held in November 2023.
A recent Washington Post report based on Kremlin documents has unraveled how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s administration used a group of Russian political strategists to push a disinformation campaign to malign Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The platform said the documents received from a European intelligence service revealed how Russia led by Putin earns its disinformation superpower status.
The documents include screenshots of a sophisticated digital dashboard measuring how well Vladimir Putin’s operatives spread falsehoods and propaganda to undermine democracies.
“The files, numbering more than 100 documents, were shared with The Washington Post to expose for the first time the scale of Kremlin propaganda targeting Zelensky with the aim of dividing and destabilizing Ukrainian society — efforts that Moscow dubbed “information psychological operations,” part of the report reads.
The Washington Post reported that this dashboard is reviewed nearly weekly by the Kremlin to measure the success of its “information psychological operations” targeting Ukraine.
A translation of a sample screenshot from the dashboard indicates that it measures goals including discrediting the Ukraine government, dividing the elite in that country, demoralizing the Ukrainian armed forces, and creating divisions among the Ukrainian population.
The platforms listed by the Russian officials that they use to spread disinformation include Twitter (X), Facebook, Telegram, and Instagram.
According to the report, Russian disinformation operatives internally use the Orwellian shorthand “additional reality” to describe the false claims they create and spread.
One of the dashboards brags about getting two million views of a false claim that the family of a killed Ukrainian soldier had not received any support from the government. Another win was the spread of the falsehood that Kyiv defines its main war aim as “to fight to the last Ukrainian.”
“By early March, dozens of hired trolls were pumping out more than 1,300 texts and 37,000 comments on Ukrainian social media each week, according to one of the dashboard presentations. Records show that employees at troll farms earned 60,000 rubles a month, or $660, for writing 100 comments a day, “ the report reads.
“Most of the strategists’ reports to their political masters focused on the volume of content produced and total views, but for the first five months, they offered little in the way of evidence that the effort was having any impact on Ukrainians.”
The documents also include a price list to pay social media influencers “willing to work with Russian clients” and to pay up to $39,000 for pro-Russia commentaries published in major media outlets in the U.S. and Europe.
A WhatsApp helpline has been launched by Meta in collaboration with the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) to address misinformation generated by AI, particularly deepfakes in India.
This was made known in an official statement by Meta. The project, which is scheduled to begin in March 2024, aims to give the public a way to report and validate questionable media, thereby assisting them in differentiating between real and fake content.
The statement added that users can send messages to the helpline, and digital labs, industry partners, and fact-checkers will in turn review and validate them. They would generally assess the content’s legitimacy and reveal any misleading or manipulative information.
“The initiative will see IFCN signatory fact-checkers, journalists, civic tech professionals, research labs and forensic experts come together, with Meta’s support,” said Bharat Gupta the president of Misinformation Combat Alliance.
The statement further highlighted that the focus of the programme is to implement a four-pillar approach – detection, prevention, reporting and driving awareness around the escalating spread of deepfakes along with building a critical instrument that allows citizens to access reliable information to fight the spread of such misinformation.
The Misinformation Combat Alliance is building a central unit for deepfake analysis, while Meta is working on a chatbot for WhatsApp. All of the helpline’s messages will be handled by MCA.
“The Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) will serve as a critical and timely intervention to arrest the spread of AI-enabled disinformation among social media and internet users in India. Its formation highlights the collaboration and whole-of-society approach to foster a healthy information ecosystem that the MCA was set up for,” Gupta added.
Meta recently declared that it will categorize photographs created by AI across its networks, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Users will be able to tell the difference between photographs that appear natural and ones that are artificially created. Any content with indicators of being produced by AI that are considered industry standard will have these labels applied to it.
A photo showing a stack of cash has surfaced online with a claim that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) discovered $800 million (dollars) in cash stashed at the home of a former Abia state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.
The photo has been circulated on various WhatsApp groups, X and Facebook.
Photo shows a stack of cash found at the home of a former governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Screenshot of the post on X claiming a stack of cash was recovered from Ikpeazu.
When subjected to Google Reverse Image search, the result shows that the image has been online since 2007.
According to Aljazeera, the cash and other valuable items were recovered by Mexico Police from a drug dealer whose house was raided.
Furthermore, no credible media platform has reported the discovery of the $800 million dollars cash stashed at the home of the former governor.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the image shows money found at the home of a former Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu is FALSE; findings show that the image has been online since 2007.
The summit which will be held from June 26-28, 2024 will bring together hundreds of fact-checkers and academia across the world to discuss critical issues like the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), evolving public policy landscapes, and ensuring the sustainability of their operations.
Presented by the International Fact-Checking Network at the Poynter Institute and hosted by Sarajevo-based organization Zašto ne, the summit promises a diverse programme with dedicated tracks on reporting and editing, public policy, AI and technology, media literacy, and research.
Experts will lead discussions on navigating the impact of AI on information verification, shaping public policy to combat misinformation, and fostering media literacy across communities.
Beyond global challenges, the summit will offer a unique look at the experiences of fact-checkers in the Balkans. Attendees will delve into war propaganda, state-sponsored disinformation, and contemporary online challenges like inauthentic content and digital regulation.
Commenting on the summit, Angie Drobnic Holan, the director of the IFCN, said, “This year, our community is collaborating to address several issues, including global elections, the rise of artificial intelligence, preserving free speech, and promoting online and offline information integrity. We will be able to exchange encouragement and best practices during our meeting in Sarajevo”.
Also speaking, Tijana Cvjetićanin, the head of fact-checking at Zašto ne, stated that “Our region is uniquely positioned to provide valuable perspectives on many of the ‘hot topics’ that will be covered in this year’s GlobalFact”.
This year’s programme also caters to verified IFCN signatories with exclusive sessions on platform partnerships, maintaining independence, and database control. Additionally, keynote speakers, renowned in fields like journalism, technology, and politics, will offer their insights throughout the event. Last year’s lineup included investigative journalist Jessikka Aro, Dr. Eun-Ju Lee, and Yoel Roth (former head of Trust and Safety at Twitter).
A claim that stomach ulcer can be cured with a mixture of lime, oranges, eggs, milk, honey and some other items has surfaced on the internet.
The claim which was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by a user on the app, @Abdullahiabba_, stated that mixing a tin of milk, lime, oranges, eggs and honey will cure ulcer permanently if taken consistently in the morning and evening for three days.
The claim was posted on February 10, 2024, alongside an image of all the items needed. It further stated that if the ulcer is a chronic one, the mixture should be repeated for 7 days and he (the poster ) should be contacted if they need more details.
The caption read:
*PERMANENT CURE FOR ULCER* 1.Peak milk one tin 2.Pure honey two spoon (you can get it at islamic Chemist around you) 3.Two native eggs ( each is sold at 500 upwards) 4.Sweet orange two 5.Lime orange two All mixed together. After Mixing them together, you can share it into and take Morning and Evening, or you can take it all at once. You are going to repeat this process for 3 days straight, if your ulcer is very chronic then you will repeat it for 7 days. It cure Ulcer permanently. Pls Retweet for others to know and if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can send a DM.
The post have garnered over 164,000 views, more than 1,300 reposts, and over 1,700 likes as well as bookmarked over 1,400 times as of February 17, 2024.
Stomach ulcers which are otherwise known as peptic ulcers are open sores that develop on the inside lining of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine which is caused by an infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
The most common symptom of a peptic ulcer, according to medical doctors, is stomach pain.
CLAIM
Ulcer can be cured permanently with lime, orange, honey, milk and eggs mixture.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub prove the claim to be FALSE!
Citrus fruits like lime and orange are not advisable for individuals suffering from stomach ulcers as some people who have ulcer also have acid reflux which can relax the lower part of the esophagus, known as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), doctors counselled.
A relaxed LES makes it easier for acid to back up into the esophagus and causes heartburn, indigestion, and pain.
Screenshot of the claim posted on X. INSERT: False verdict.
Speaking with The FactCheckHub, Zuliah Abdulazeez, who specialises in reproductive and family health at the Department of Health Promotion, University of Ilorin, Kwara State noted that it is not advisable for ulcer patients to use orange and lime to treat themselves.
“Every ulcer patient should avoid acidic, greasy, spicy, fried foods and citrus fruits such as orange, lime, lemons and tomatoes. The emergency treatment for ulcer is antacids,” she emphasized.
Stomach ulcers are completely curable with proper treatment, she said. “Therefore, the patient should go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment according to the doctor’s instructions.”
Eniola Owolabi, who is a medical officer at 063 NAF Hospital in Abuja, while agreeing with Abdulazeez noted that the claim is misleading.
“As an individual managing peptic ulcer, one of the crucial things to do is to avoid fruits from the citrus family or unripe fruits as they contain a high concentration of citric acid,” Owolabi maintained.
“So, saying that whatsoever mixture that contains lime and oranges cures ulcer is misleading,” she posited.
A study by the National Library of Medicine notes that honey can be used as an alternative treatment for treating gastric ulcer cause by NSAIDs and wounds. It however did not state or include the usefulness of eggs or citrus fruits as an alternative for treating ulcer.
The result of the study was also based on its antioxidant and cytoprotective activities.
In an article by WebMD, medically reviewed by Minesh Khatri, it stated that milk can’t help prevent or relieve an ulcer. Rather, it might make it worse by prompting your stomach to make more acid.
Another study by the National Library of Medicine indicates that high intake of fermented milk products was associated with decreased risk for ulcer, whereas increased risk was noted for high milk intake.
THE VERDICT
The claim that ulcer can be cured permanently with lime, orange, and eggs mixture is FALSE; ulcer can be cured permanently with the right medications prescribed by a doctor and not by taking citrus and acidic fruits.
