Eurovision News | Spotlight | Derek Bowler | Substack

Fact-Checks

No, Morgan Wallen did not donate $30m for Texas flood relief or personally distribute food

The stories originated on fake news websites that were then shared around in fan forums on Facebook to gain traffic

Jul 9 •

TikTok disaster accounts use Texas flood fakes to boost engagement

On visual social platforms, AI is increasingly being used for compilation videos to illustrate the top stories

Jul 7 •

Unpacking viral video of overcrowded ‘Paris pools’ amid scorching heat wave

The footage is partially old, dating back to at least 2023

Jul 3 •

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation claims not to distribute sugar after accusation it set up trap

No evidence and are not able to verify that Omar Hamad is linked to Hamas as claimed by the GHF

Jul 2 •

No evidence for claim that children forced to wear ‘Islamic attire and recite pro-Palestine poems’

The footage was not filmed where Rui Paulo Sousa said it was, and the children are not wearing religious attire

Jul 1 •

Photo of Tehran’s Milad Tower lit up depicted as showing ‘victory’ celebration

Photo is misrepresented and has been traced back to have been published at least already in 2016

Jun 26 •

Viral video claiming to show massive blasts at U.S. military base in Qatar is AI-generated

The footage looked cinematic, and some versions of it bore the logo of OpenAI's video generator

Jun 24 •

U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites gives rise to wave of misrepresented content

AI-generated content also used to depict strikes in Iran

Jun 22 •

Spotlights

Tracking the escalation: U.S. Air Force mobilises as Israel targets Iran's nuclear core

Use of U.S. bunker-buster bomb looms over Iran conflict as American jets move into Middle East

Jun 20 •

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Israeli government agency paid for adverts targeting Eurovision Song Contest public vote

All participating countries were targeted with ads on Google products

May 19 •

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Timeline and geolocation reveal details of alleged attack on Gaza aid vessel

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel of attacking its passenger ship, which was on its way to Malta to pick up volunteers and activists

May 2 •

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From Hollywood to Holy See: Beyond the smoke and sealed doors of conclave

What really happens inside the Sistine Chapel

May 1 •

and

Tesla under siege: Arson, vandalism, and political backlash

Attacks surge across Europe and the US as Elon Musk's ties to Trump administration ignite fury

Mar 19 •

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The ‘Pink Triangle’: Trump shares article featuring Nazi-era symbol used to identify gay prisoners

The U.S. President had linked a post to an article by conservative media outlet The Washington Times, titled “Army recruitment ads look quite different…

Mar 12 •

0:33

Trump shares AI video depicting vision to turn Gaza into ‘Riviera of the Middle East’

Watch now | A child running through a sea of rubble, golden statues of Donald Trump, Elon Musk dancing amid raining dollar bills, and the Israeli prime…

Feb 26 •

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UN Bases Under Israeli Fire

Targets or Collateral Damage?

Oct 31, 2024 •

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Dispatches

Fact-Check Dispatch: Racist tropes and transphobia fanned by AI, fake magazine writers, and the case against Bob Vylan

Issue 25 of the Fact-Check Dispatch

Jul 8 •

Fact-Check Dispatch: On the digital frontlines of the Iran-Israel war

Misrepresented and AI-generated content fuel information war online

Jun 24 •

and

Fact-Check Dispatch: Old and AI-generated content circulates amid Middle East conflict and India plane crash

Issue 23 of the Fact-Check Dispatch

Jun 17 •

Fact-Check Dispatch: Wrong man named in Liverpool parade incident, Gaza aid misinformation, and AI targets Pope Leo

Issue 22 of the Fact-Check Dispatch

Jun 3 •

Fact-Check Dispatch: Trump's false white genocide claims, UN's '14,000 babies' confusion, and how Russians are buying luxury from the West

Issue 21 of the Fact-Check Dispatch

May 27 •

Fact-Check Dispatch: Israeli government pays for Eurovision ads, Gaza aid depots under construction, and Trump's $400m jet

Issue 20 of the Fact-Check Dispatch

May 20 •

Fact-Check Dispatch: Operation Sindoor drives misinformation online, world leaders targeted in 'cocaine train' claims

Issue 19 of the Fact-Check Dispatch

May 14 •

and

Fact-Check Dispatch: Edited space pictures, old content and incorrect captions flourish in Spanish blackout

Issue 18 of the Fact-Check Dispatch

May 6 •

and

Tutorials

55:07

Fact-Check & OSINT Review #9

Watch now | Step-by-step fact-checking & OSINT training from Eurovision News Spotlight

Jun 30 •

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1:05:14

Fact-Check & OSINT Review #8

Watch now (65 mins) | Featuring leading voices from RTBF, RTVE, Radio France, and Eurovision News

May 29 •

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Ambroise Carton

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Borja Díaz-Merry

58:57

Fact-Check & OSINT Review #7

In the seventh edition of the SPOTLIGHT Fact-Check & OSINT Review, members of the European Broadcasting Union joined Maria Flannery, Thais Porto, and…

Apr 24 •

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Thais Porto Zenklusen

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Borja Díaz-Merry

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59:13

Fact-Check & OSINT Review #6

Listen now | Maria Flannery, Thais Porto, and Fabian Dilger breakdown recent fact-checks in the Sixth episode of the review series

Mar 27 •

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Thais Porto Zenklusen

, and

44:58

Fact-Check & OSINT Review #5

Watch now | Maria Flannery, Jenny Hauser and George Powell breakdown recent fact-checks in the fifth episode of the review series

Feb 27 •

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32:49

Fact-Check & OSINT Review #4

Watch now (33 mins) | Maria Flannery, Thais Porto and Thomas Hougaard breakdown recent fact-checks in the fourth episode of the review series

Jan 30 •

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Thomas Normann Hougaard

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Thais Porto Zenklusen

46:10

Fact-Check & OSINT Review #3

Maria Flannery and Thomas Hougaard breakdown recent fact-checks in the third episode of the review series

Nov 29, 2024 •

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Thomas Normann Hougaard

49:05

Fact-Check & OSINT Review #2

Maria Flannery and Thomas Hougaard breakdown recent fact-checks in the second episode of the review series

Oct 31, 2024 •

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, and

Thomas Normann Hougaard

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