WebQoof Recap: Of Misinformation Around SP's Tenure & Edited Photo of Kejriwal
From old videos shared as recent to misformation around the use of masks to prevent COVID-19.
Misinformation that went viral this week included morphed photos of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann.
(Photo: The Quint)
From morphed photographs of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM-candidate Bhagwant Mann going viral ahead of the upcoming 2022 Punjab Assembly Elections to false claims about Akhilesh Yadav-led tenure of Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, here's what mislead people this week.
1. UP Govt Wrongly Labels Labourers' Images From Noida as ‘Not From UP'
Uttar Pradesh Information and Public Relations Department's verified fact-checking Twitter account recently labelled a tweet by news agency ANI as 'fake'. The tweets from ANI, had a byte from a labourer speaking about the impact of COVID-19 restrictions in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
The Fact-Checking handle of UP IPRD stated that the information was misleading as the photographs were not from Uttar Pradesh.
An archived version of this post can be accessed here.
However, we carefully observed the photos and found visual cues that confirmed that the photographs were from Uttar Pradesh. While we cannot confirm the statements made in the tweet, we found that the photographs were taken at Labour Chowk in Noida.
Read the full story here.
2. Old Video of Ravi Kishan Revived After His Visit to a Dalit Family's Home
A short video of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Kishan, in which he is seen sitting in a car with several other people and complaining about the smell of sweat, went viral on social media this week.
Social media users are sharing the video to claim that Kishan raised an issue with the smell of sweat of Dalits. The claim comes shortly after the MP shared a photograph of him sharing a meal at a Dalit person’s house ahead of upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh (UP).
An archive of this post can be seen here.
However, we found that the video could be traced back to at least 2020, when it was shared with a similar claim. While Kishan does remark on the smell of sweat in the video, he makes no reference to Dalit community whatsoever.
Read the full story here.
3. Face Masks Don't Cause Bacterial Infection, They Prevent Spread of COVID-19
A news bulletin published on the Facebook page of an Assamese news portal called 24 Live, claimed that wearing face masks is harmful to one's health.
The information was attributed to a person claiming to be Kolkata-based homeopathic doctor who went on to make several other misleading claims about COVID-19.
An archive of the post can be found here.
However, we found that the claims made by the doctor were false. There is no evidence to prove that wearing mask poses any kind of health risk in a healthy individual. Moreover, we found a study that said that wearing face masks protected people against bacterial infections in hospital settings.
Read the full story here.
4. Fact-Check: Temples Demolished, Hindus Killed During SP's Tenure in UP?
Ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh (UP) elections, a post doing the rounds which made a slew of claims about Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav and the work that he did during his tenure.
The claim tries to point out that whatever Yadav did was to appease the minorities, such as building mosques, demolishing temples and so on.
An archived version of the post can be seen here.
However, we looked at each of these claims only to find that while some of the claims are blatantly false and have no ounce of truth, others are exaggerated.
Read the full story here.
5. Morphed Pic of Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann Shared Ahead of Punjab Polls
A photo of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and Punjab CM candidate Bhagwant Mann sitting in front of a liquor shop was shared on social media to take a dig at the party ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab.
An archive of this post can be seen here.
However, we found that the photo is edited. The original photo shows Kejriwal and Mann seated in a mustard farm, where they interacted with farmers and villagers in Chamkaur Sahib in Punjab's Rupnagar.
Read the full story here.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)