Hoax of fame

Collecting fake or misleading viral images

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? Yes

Explanation: This photo supposed to show Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg with Hungarian-American investor and philanthropist George Soros was actually made using a picture of Greta Thunberg with former vice president of the United States Al Gore. The doctored image was shared on a French parody website claiming the Swedish teenager was George Soros’ granddaughter, which is untrue.

Original photo When: December 12, 2018 Where: Katowice, Poland Source: Photographer unknown, picture published on Twitter by Greta Thunberg

[Debunked by AFP Fact Check]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? Yes

Explanation: This photo supposed to show North Korea’s leader Kim Il-sung with Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin having a meal together was actually made using a picture of Kim Il-sung with the Premier of the People's Republic of China Zhou Enlai.

Original photo When: November 1958 Where: China Source: Unknown (can be found on the website of the embassy of China in North Korea)

[Debunked by HoaxEye, link to original by Hoax of fame]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? No

Explanation: Shared as an image of George Stinney, Jr. who became in 1944, at age 14, the youngest person to be executed in the United States. This photograph was actually taken around 1900.

Original photo When: Around 1900 Where: Sing Sing prison, Ossining, New York, United States Source: William M. Vander Weyde

[Debunked by Hoax of fame]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? Yes

Explanation: A Confederate flag has been pasted onto a 1969 photo of Hillary Clinton (then Hillary Rodham). More about this series of pictures taken by Life photojournalist Lee Balterman.

Original photo When: June 11, 1969 Where: Park Ridge, Illinois, United States Source: Lee Balterman / Life

[Debunked by Gizmodo’s Matt Novak]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? No

Explanation: Shared as a photo of the 2017 solar eclipse in the United States, this picture was taken in New Mexico, United States in May 2012 during an annular solar eclipse. The Daily Mail published an article about how the photo was taken.

Original photo When: May 20, 2012 Where: Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States Source: Colleen Pinski

[Debunked by ThatsNonsense.com]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? No

Explanation: This video (or a part of it) is often shared with a message pretending it shows Muslims celebrating a terror attack (usually in a Western country). It’s actually supporters celebrating Pakistan’s victory in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, the international championship of Twenty20, a short form of cricket. The competition was taking place in the United Kingdom and this video has been shot in London.

Original video When: June 21, 2009 Where: London, United Kingdom Source: YouTube user jaswal777

[Debunked by Sindh Sadiyan Khaan]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? No, but staged

Explanation: Often shared with a caption like “Unarmed Palestinian Boy just after being shot by an Israeli Police giving his last and freezing look at his killer”, this image is a still from a 2012 Tunisian movie, “The Kingdom of Ants”, by Chawki Mejri.

Original photo When: 2011-2012 Where: Syria or Tunisia Source: United Artistic Group

[Debunked by Snopes]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? No

Explanation: Shared with a caption reading “He's paralyzed, but his friends held him up to get married”, this picture more probably shows members of a fraternity bonding together. The groom is not paralysed as other photos of the wedding posted by the bride confirmed.

Original photo When: 2016 Where: Unknown Source: Rita Shaw on Instagram (account now set to private)

[Debunked by Diply]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? Yes

Explanation: The head of Jimi Hendrix has been pasted onto the body of an accordion player.

Original photo When: Unknown Where: Unknown Source: Unknown

[Debunked by Gizmodo]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? Yes

Explanation: Shared (even by CBS News) as a selfie taken by Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, this is actually a composite made with a selfie by Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide and a data visualization of Earth’s city lights by NASA.

Photo of the astronaut When: September 5, 2012 Where: Space Source: Aki Hoshide

Image of North Africa and Europe When: October 23, 2000 Where: Computer world Source: Craig Mayhew and Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC

[Debunked by @PicPedant on Twitter and Hoax of fame]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? No

Explanation: Shared in November 2016 as a picture of a bear who suffered burns in the Tennessee wildfire, this photo was actually taken in August 2014 after a forest fire in Washington State. This story actually has a happy ending as the bear recovered and was released in the wild in June 2015.

Original photo When: August 3, 2014 Where: Washington State, United States Source: Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife

[Debunked by Hoax of fame]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? No

Explanation: Often shared when a forest fire occurs, this photo of deers trying to take shelter in the river was taken in 2000 in Montana, United States.

Original photo When: August 6, 2000 Where: Bitterroot National Forest, Montana, United States Source: John McColgan

[Debunked by Snopes]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? No

Explanation: This image had people wondering if it was showing Tom Hanks or Bill Murray. It is actually Bill Murray.

Original photo When: October 6, 2012 Where: St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom Source: Laura DiMichele-Ross

[Debunked by BBC News and Snopes]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? Yes

Explanation: This photo of Donald Trump with his parents (Mary Anne and Fred Trump) has been edited to make it look like the 2016 Republican presidential candidate’s parents were wearing Ku Klux Klan (KKK) robes.

Original photo When: 1992 Where: Unknown Source: Judie Burstein / Globe Photos

[Debunked by Snopes]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? Yes

Explanation: This “Statue of Liberty made from bombed rubble of Aleppo” is a photomontage by Syrian artist Tammam Azzam.

Original photo When: September 8, 2012 (date of upload on Facebook) Where: On a computer Source: Tammam Azzam

[Debunked by Ben Norton, explained by Snopes]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? No, but staged

Explanation: A YouTuber using the alias Joey Salads uploaded a video called “Trump Car DESTROYED in Black Neighborhood (Social Experiment)” supposed to show how members of a Black community were reacting violently to a car decorated with items in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. A Twitter user revealed it was staged by filming a video proving that the attackers were part of Salads’ team.

Original video (has been deleted, here is a copy) When: October 17, 2016 (date of upload) Where: Park Hill neighborhood, Staten Island, New York City, New York, United States Source: Joey Salads

[Debunked by Pedro Torres on Twitter]

[hoaxoffame]

Fake? Yes

Explanation: The original sign on the door wasn’t “Strictly no elephants” but “House closed”. The real caption says: “A young visitor and her toy elephant finds that the elephant house at London Zoo is closed for their winter holidays”.

Original photo When: January 1, 1927 Where: London, England, United Kingdom Source: Fox Photos

[Debunked by @HoaxEye on Twitter]