Source type Educational

Photo of Zelenskyy holding a jersey with a swastika was altered

This photo was altered. In the original, Zelenskyy is holding a jersey that has the number 95, not a swastika.

The original image was distributed by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service in June 2021. According to a caption on Agence France-Presse's website, it shows him "posing with a jersey of Ukraine's national football team."

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has pushed the idea that the effort is one of "denazification," a narrative historians have decried as "false and destructive."

We rate claims Zelenskyy was holding a jersey with a swastika False.

October 21, 2022

Disinformation Antisemitism Russian propaganda Incitement & hate speech Media taken out of context Nazism Fact checks / debunkings AI-generated / doctored images Methods Misconceptions Ukraine Russia Hatred and bigotry

GUIDE: How to tell if a news article is reliable – Africa Check

If it's a big and important issue, be cautious about what you share or see shared on social media.

October 7, 2022

Fact-checking tools Fact check websites Fact checks / debunkings Other analysis tools "How to" instructions Resources

Your guide to geolocating photos and videos posted online

Determining whether a scene actually took place where a social media user said it did - also known as geolocation - has become a major part of verifying social media posts. In this article, we take a look at some essential geolocation tools and walk you through a few case studies from the FRANCE 24 Observers team.

September 5, 2022

Disinformation Images Media taken out of context Fact checks / debunkings "How to" instructions Resources Media formats Video Methods Misconceptions Ukraine Russia International community

Fake news sites steal media brand names

The website looks authentic, but it isn't. Fake news sites showing well-known media brand names are acting as vehicles for Russian propaganda, among other things.

September 3, 2022

Disinformation Fact-checking tools Russian propaganda Coordinated disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports "How to" instructions Resources Methods Misconceptions Russia

How to investigate a Twitter account or suspicious tweets

There are about 200 million people who use Twitter on a daily basis, making it an important site for news and information. But this social network is also a prime source of disinformation, from fake accounts to tweets taken out of context. The FRANCE 24 Observers team takes a look at some good habits to avoid falling into these Twitter traps.

August 22, 2022

Images Coordinated disinformation Media taken out of context Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports "How to" instructions AI-generated / doctored images Resources Media formats China Methods Misconceptions Ukraine Russia UK International community France

FRANCE 24 Observers’ guide to verifying images

Since 2018, the FRANCE 24 Observers team has been sharing tips for helping you to verify images that circulate online yourself. In this guide, we'll explain how to avoid falling into online traps - whether they involve photos or videos taken out of context or ones that have been actually doctored. We'll keep updating this guide, to keep you up to date on verification tools available for public use.

August 16, 2022

Disinformation Images Media taken out of context Fact checks / debunkings "How to" instructions Resources Media formats Video Methods AI / deep fake / doctored videos & audio Misconceptions

Fake: Ukrainians Have Never Lived in Odesa

At the end of the 19th century, Ukrainian was the third most widely spoken language in Odesa, after Russian and Yiddish. According to the 1897 Russian Empire General Census, 37,925 inhabitants of Odesa declared Ukrainian as their mother tongue.

July 27, 2022

Russian propaganda Fact checks / debunkings Ukraine Russia

Fact check: Are food supplies being weaponized?

Who is responsible for shuttered ports and mined maritime routes in the Black Sea? Are sanctions against Russia driving up global food prices? Can grain supplies from Ukraine be replaced? A DW fact check clarifies.

May 28, 2022

United Nations Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Germany Misconceptions Ukraine Russia International community

This clip does not show Russian missiles in Ukraine — it was taken from a video game

A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple Facebook and Weibo posts alongside a claim it shows Russian troops blowing up a military convoy carrying US-supplied weapons to Ukraine. However, the claim is false; the clip in fact shows computer-generated imagery from a war video game called ARMA 3.

May 23, 2022

Military aid Media taken out of context Fact checks / debunkings USA Methods Misconceptions Ukraine Russia Aid to Ukraine International community

How to Terminate Russian Disinformation

By Zviad Adzinbaia, for CEPA

Russia's failed invasion of Ukraine can pave the way to ending the Kremlin's weaponized disinformation against the West.
Twitter limited more than 300 Russian government accounts last month, including that of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The move followed the European Union's (EU) 27 February ban on Russia's two state-run propaganda outlets, RT and Sputnik, three days after Russia invaded Ukraine. Meta followed by "restricting access to RT and Sputnik across the EU."

These measures set a precedent to clear Russia's disinformation networks from Western media and social media space.

May 13, 2022

Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Putin Disinfo threat outlook Resources Misconceptions Ukraine Russia International community Georgia