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.
Claim
Final moments of a Turkish family during the massive earthquake that jolted the country.
Archived versions of such posts can be seen here, here and here.
Fact
A Google reverse image search on the keyframes of the viral video led us to a Facebook post by @elazigkarakocansayfasi, dated January 28, 2020, carrying a slightly longer version of the widely circulated footage with the caption “#Deprem (Turkish for earthquake).
We spotted a watermark of the TikTok app along with the text “@cilgin_family” on the bottom right corner of the screen in the video shared by @elazigkarakocansayfasi. A display picture of the creators was also displayed in the last frame along with the watermark and username.
Following this, we looked up keywords “cilgin_family,” & “Deprem” on Google, which yielded a YouTube video by Crazy family (@clgnfamily2433), dated February 6, 2023, carrying the same visuals as seen in the viral clip. However, the end frames show the man and the boy lying on the floor and a couple of cushions piled over them.
On analysing the YouTube video, we noticed that though the initial few frames show the debris and paint falling from the roof, the same is not seen on the furniture and clothes of the people featured in the clip. Additionally, the very next frame shows the roof of the room, without any visible crack or damage. Thirdly, the last few frames show the man and boy in a different attire.
Notably, the viral clip was originally uploaded on the YouTube channel of Crazy family (@clgnfamily2433) on November 17, 2020, with the caption, “Deprem anı (Turkish for Earthquake moment).” And a slightly longer version with different ending was shared on Monday, likely after the earthquake hit Turkey.
Furthermore, we scanned through the various videos posted on the YouTube channel featuring the man seen in the viral clip engaging in various performances, indicating that he is a content creator. The “About” section of the channel also reads, “we are just having fun.”
Following this, a keyword search for “cilgin_family” on Google threw up a few Turkish language websites, identifying the account to be of a TikTok creator with the same username. Such websites can be seen here and here.
We could thus conclude that over 2-year-old video created by a TikToker is being shared to falsely show the “final moments of a Turkish family” stranded at home during the recent earthquake.
Result: False
Sources
Facebook Post By @elazigkarakocansayfasi, Dated January 28, 2020
YouTube Channel Of @clgnfamily2433
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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.
