If you've been brushing up on the FRANCE 24 Observers' verification guide, then you now have the know-how to verify images with a reverse image search or check for edits with some forensic tools. You should also have the basic instincts needed to be wary when scrolling through social media. This guide will show you some more advanced verification techniques that can help you dig a bit deeper into the origins of a post or a page.
CLAIM: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has called on Ukraine to surrender to Russia.
AP'S ASSESSMENT: False. The 31-nation alliance has made no such call. The organization in a statement pointed to comments its secretary general made this week stressing that NATO remains committed to supporting Ukraine and that any decision to negotiate peace would be up to the Eastern European nation.
CLAIM: A video shows Russian leader Vladimir Putin announcing Russia will send "help to Palestine" in the latest Israel-Hamas War.
AP'S ASSESSMENT: False. The video is from 2021 and shows Putin speaking at Russia's Victory Day military parade. He doesn't make any references to the Middle East conflict in the speech, but rather talks about the defeat of Nazism. Russia has so far issued carefully calibrated criticism of both sides in the Israel-Hamas war.
CLAIM: Mexico is planning to soon eliminate visa requirements for Russian nationals seeking to enter the country.
AP'S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. Mexico's ambassador to Russia says discussions between the two nations about mutually dropping visa requirements have been ongoing for years, but no agreement has been finalized. Eduardo Villegas MegÃas, Mexico's ambassador to Russia, says there's been no movement in the talks as Mexico remains neutral in Russia's war in Ukraine.