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
Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa lights up with the image of Ratan Tata, weeks after he passed away at 86 on October 9.
Fact
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Ratan Tata Burj Khalifa”, which did not throw up any credible news reports about such a tribute.
We looked up the official Instagram account of the landmark, where there was only one post in the month of October, showing the tower lit up to observe Breast Cancer Awareness month.
We then ran a reverse image search, which led us to this Britannica Money write-up on Tata, sharing a similar picture (left) of the businessman that was purportedly displayed on the Burj Khalifa (right). The photo was credited to Saurabh Das/AP/Shutterstock.com.
A further search led us to an image of a lit-up Burj Khalifa (left), shared by the Mclaren Engineering Group on its website, stating that the Burj Khalifa LED light show in 2018 broke the Guinness World Record for the largest light and sound show on a single structure.
We ran the image past TrueMedia, an AI content-detection tool, which stated there was “substantial evidence of manipulation”. The tool noted that the person appears to be photoshopped onto the building. We also ran the image past another tool, Fake Image Detector, which stated that it was a “computer-generated or modified image.”
Not The First Time
Newschecker has already debunked multiple false claims centred around the Burj Khalifa’s famous light shows, ranging from it allegedly being lit up in the colours of the Shah Rukh Khan-owned IPL franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, to a purported image of Lord Ram projected onto the tower on the occasion of Ram Navami. Another claim that the Burj Khalifa did not light up with the Pakistani flag on their Independence Day last year was also found to be false.
Result: Altered Media
Sources
Britannica article
McLaren Engineering Group website
Fake Image Detector tool
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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.
