Fact-Check Dispatch: UFO interfering with U.S. nuclear site, Stormy Daniels in mushroom dress, and LeBron James lamenting NBA loss
Issue 2 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.
‘Mushroom cloud’ purported to stem from massive explosion in Florida was caused by prescribed fire
A video shared on social media platforms showed a large cloud of smoke rising near Daytona Beach, Florida this week and was described as showing the aftermath of a “massive explosion.”
A search of the City of New Smyrna Beach Facebook page turned up no mentions of an explosion and we found no references to an explosion on that date from the New Smyrna Beach Police Department or the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department.
A further search revealed that a local wildlife reserve had announced a “prescribed burn” for April 23 and 24.
Video purportedly showing UFO interfering with U.S. nuclear site is not genuine
Footage published to X on April 24, 2024, purported to show a UFO that was spotted on security footage in the United States.
The caption read: “A UFO descended on a nuclear facility in the USA. The UFO was then caught on video by surveillance cameras taking away key components of the nuclear device.
An earlier version of the same clip can be traced to a YouTube channel called ‘Alien Planet’ dedicated to posting videos showing purported UFO sightings. The video has a completely different colour profile and is higher resolution, suggesting that the version recently posted to X was an altered and cropped version of this video.
Clip claiming to show LeBron James lamenting NBA loss, alluding to match-fixing is not genuine
Footage appearing to be from a post-match press conference claims to show NBA star LeBron James making a number of statements about referees, his coach and teammates, match-fixing, and how a bug flew into his eye as he tried to take a shot.
A reverse image search of his image pulled up information about what game the press conference took place at Game 2 between the Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference playoffs, which took place on April 22 local.
A comparative analysis of LeBron James’ body language suggests that the video was created using short snippets of the real press conference.
A closer look at LeBron, as he speaks in the clip, reveals unnatural movements and inconsistencies in his mouth area and teeth as he speaks.
Photo of Stormy Daniels wearing mushroom-patterned dress for trial against Trump is altered
A photo which has been spread widely on social media claims to show former adult movie actress Stormy Daniels arriving at the trial against Donald Trump in New York wearing a mushroom-patterned dress.
Users on other social media platforms quickly picked up and reposted the claim. This one on X has been viewed nearly one million times.
A reverse image search of the photo brings up these images by Reuters taken in 2018, in which Daniels is in a blue dress similar to the one in the posts.
On closer inspection, the photo on the far left clearly features the same man behind Daniels also seen in the photo shared in the social media posts sharing showing the mushroom-patterned dress.
The caption to the Reuters photos says they show Daniels arriving at “ABC studios with her lawyer” to appear on the talk show “The View.”
Video simulation purports to show Iranian military shooting down Israeli jet near Isfahan
A post on X shared this video claiming to show the Iranian military shooting down an Israeli F-35 fighter jet over Isfahan. It is described as showing Iranian NTI air capabilities downing the jet.
The video was re-posted hundreds of times on X. The initial claim the footage is related to the suspected Israeli strikes in Isfahan was traced back to April 19 coinciding with the day Iranian media reported explosions near Isfahan in the early morning.
Several comments under the footage shared in posts on X indicated that it was an animation created with Arma 3. A keyword search on X of “Arma 3″ and “fighter jet” produced results that contained similar footage to the one seen here.
An uncropped version of the same footage can be found uploaded to this YouTube channel in September 2022 where it is described as a simulation made with Arma 3.
Purported recent picture of Israeli flag on Eiffel Tower is over 6 months old
A post on X published on the account of Dr Eli David on April 14, 2024, showed a picture of the Eiffel Tower lit up in blue and white and bearing a projection of a white Star of David.
Alongside the picture, the uploader wrote to his 587,000 followers, “Eiffel tower last night Thank you”, including a number of emojis: a French flag, a red heart, and an Israeli flag.
A reverse image search of the picture brings up multiple uses of the same photograph prior to April 13-14.
The picture can in fact be traced back to October 2023, when the Israeli flag was projected onto the Eiffel Tower in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.