Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Photo of US vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs , the 54-year-old American music mogul who was recently arrested on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Fact
Newschecker ran a reverse image search, which led us to this Getty Images photo, dated May 18, 2021, which shows another man instead of Combs, indicating that the viral photo may have been altered.
“Ashley Williams, Montel Williams and Kamala Harris attend Eighth Annual Race To Erase Multiple Sclerosis Benefit at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California on May 18, 2001,” read the caption. There are a series of photos from the event, which further confirms that the man was not Combs, but talk show host Montel Williams, daughter Ashley Williams and Kamala Harris.
Interestingly, Williams had also reportedly called out an MAGA X account that shared a video clip of Williams with Kamala Harris and his daughter at an event in the 2000s. “Here they go again with ‘All black people look alike’” he posted after the account misidentified Williams as Combs, according to this Daily Beast write-up, dated September 17, 2024
A further search led us to this Getty Images photo of Combs, dated January 25, 2020, which proves that the viral 2001 photo was doctored with Combs’ face pasted onto the body of Williams who was standing next to Harris. AFP and Lead Stories reports, dated September 17, 2024, debunking the viral photo can be seen here and here.
Result: Altered Media
Sources
Getty Images, May 18, 2001
Getty Images, January 25, 2020
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
