Fact-Check Dispatch: ‘My First Dealer’ kit, Kamala Harris wears communist attire, and Imane Khelif's Vogue cover
Issue 8 of the Spotlight Fact-Check Dispatch
Spotlight is a newsletter created by Eurovision News in collaboration with Members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It aims to combat misinformation and promote fact-checking efforts in Europe. The newsletter serves as a platform to showcase the fact-checking work of European public service media broadcasters.
Image of ‘Fisher Price’ drug dealer toy is AI-generated
A series of images shared across social media appeared to show a Fisher Price toy ‘My First Dealer’ kit that included a gun, cash, bags of cannabis, and a hoodie.
Many of the usages of this image appeared to have been posted with humorous captions as a meme. On closer reading of the box, several typos are evident. The ‘Fisher Price’ logo actually says ‘Fisher Picce’, and ‘MY FIRST DEALER KT’ misspells the word ‘kit’.
The placement of the items in the box is also unusual, particularly the hoodie, which appears to protrude outside the bounds of the box. The image has a smooth, airbrushed quality, which makes it appear like an AI-generated image.
Furthermore, no evidence exists that Fisher Price has ever made this kit. It is not featured in any official literature from the company or its parent company, Mattel.
Image posted by Elon Musk of Kamala Harris wearing communist garb is AI-generated
Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, posted an image on his account of U.S. Vice President Kamal Harris wearing a red uniform with Communist insignia on it saying “Can you believe she wears that outfit?”
A reverse image search on Google of the photo depicting Harris in the uniform yielded only results that were either comments on the picture, reposts or news articles about it.
We then to turned to AI detection site isitai.com which said that the image was “highly likely” AI-generated and that it was probably generated using Midjourney.
Claim that Kamala Harris is using slogan from Nazi Germany in campaign is false
Posts across social media claim that Kamala Harris has adopted a Nazi slogan, ‘Strength Through Joy’, for her presidential election campaign.
An earlier post on Instagram on August 16 features a video by the actor Robert Davi telling his 57,000 followers about how he “recently found out” that Kamala Harris was using the slogan Strength Through Joy in her campaign. He goes on to talk about how it “was a Nazi slogan from 1933 all the way through the whole World War Two”.
The Harris-Walz campaign has put forward the theme of ‘joy’ since campaigning for the pair began, particularly during the Democratic National Convention in August.
While no one slogan has yet become the rallying cry for the Harris-Walz ticket, some other catchphrases have been used in the campaign, such as ‘When we fight, we win’ and ‘We’re not going back’.
Vogue magazine covers featuring Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif are fabricated
A number of photos purporting to be covers of Vogue magazine featuring Algerian boxer and 2024 Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif began circulating on various social media platforms
The posts were shared by numerous users on other platforms, too, with one calling the photos “incredible and powerful,” and another simply leaving a comment saying “Queen.”
However, a look at Vogues website reveals that no such publication is found when accessing the search function at the bottom right-hand corner of the page. In other words, Vogue Algeria does not exist.
A reverse image search of the alleged covers eventually took us to the Instagram profile of Cheikh Boumsersseb who describes himself as a visual and art director.
In the latest episode of the Eurovision News Podcast…
Kalle Kovacs, Digital Editor at Swedish Radio, joins Laurent Frat to explore the integration of AI in journalism. As an advocate for AI’s creative potential and an expert in effective prompting, Kalle discusses the impact of AI when journalists use it creatively and effectively.
This episode delves into the rapid evolution of AI, ethical considerations, and the importance of scepticism to ensure responsible use. Kalle emphasizes the significance of clear communication with LLMs, addresses data privacy concerns, and shares his approach to maintaining a human touch in AI-assisted journalism.
The conversation concludes with a look at the promising future of collaboration among EBU members to enhance accessibility and efficiency.