Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
US President Joe Biden’s “surprise” visit to Ukraine days ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion has come under an international spotlight. POTUS, who met Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday, said that Russia’s Vladimir Putin had been “dead wrong” to think Russia could outlast Ukraine and its Western allies, as the US announced additional security assistance for Ukraine.
Since Biden’s unannounced visit, the social media platforms have been flooded with images and videos showing the US President meeting his Ukrainian counterpart, walking next to him on Kyiv streets. In this backdrop, a picture purportedly showing POTUS having ice cream standing in front of a street food joint in Kyiv is going viral on social media platforms. Newschecker found the picture to be digitally edited.
Several Facebook users shared the viral photograph claiming to show Biden having ice cream in Kyiv.
Links to such posts can be found here, here, here and here.
Also Read: Joe Biden ‘Groped’ His Granddaughter? No, Viral Footage Shared Out Of Context
Fact Check/Verification
A Google reverse image search on the viral photograph led us to a report by the New York Post, dated May 27, 2021, titled ‘Press slammed for making Biden their fav flavor with ice cream questions.’
The report featured a picture of the POTUS having an ice cream cone with the caption, “President Joe Biden eating an ice cream cone in Cleveland, Ohio on May 27, 2021.”
On comparing the image carried in the NY Post report with the photograph claiming to show Biden having ice cream in Kyiv, we found them to be identical -except for the background.
Further, a keyword search for “Biden,” “Ice Cream,” & “Ohia” on Google yielded a video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of The Washington Post on May 28, 2021.
Carrying visuals of Biden having ice cream in the same attire as seen in the viral photograph, the video report stated, “President Biden on May 27 greeted a crowd outside Honey Hut Ice Cream near Cleveland while eating a cone of chocolate chocolate-chip ice cream.”
We could thus conclude that an old photograph of Biden having ice cream in the US’ Ohio has been digitally modified to show the POTUS during recent visit to Kyiv.
Newschecker continued our investigation to ascertain the whereabouts of the background seen in the viral picture, and conducted a keyword search for “Kyiv,” “street food” & “hot dog” on Google. This led us to a website called Kyiv Guide, identifying the place seen in the viral photograph as “Kyivska Perepichka.”
We looked up the same on Google Images, which further confirmed that the location of the background seen in the viral photograph is Kyivska Perepichka – famous street food joint in Kyiv.
Following this, we were able to trace the exact picture that was used as a background in the viral photograph allegedly showing Biden having ice cream in Kyiv. The image was uploaded on a website called Four Square on October 24, 2017.
A comparison of both the images further led us to conclude that a 2021 photograph of Biden having ice cream has been overlaid on an old picture taken near a street food joint in Kyiv.
Conclusion
Viral image claiming to show US President Joe Biden having ice cream in Kyiv during his recent trip to Ukraine has been digitally edited.
Result: Altered Photo
Sources
YouTube Video By The Washington Post, Dated May 28, 2021
Photo Posted In Foursquare Website
Report By New York Post, Dated May 27, 2021
Self Analysis
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
