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 Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio with his new girlfriend, environmental activist Greta Thunberg, on a luxury yacht.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Fact
Newschecker ran a reverse image search, which led us to this June 13, 2023 article published in the New York Post’s online entertainment news platform, Page Six, headlined, “Shirtless Leonardo DiCaprio makes a splash as he spends day on yacht with his family”.
“Leonardo DiCaprio was photographed enjoying some quality time with his family while vacationing along the Italian coast on Monday. He was joined by niece Normandie, father George DiCaprio and stepmother Peggy Ann Farrar for the second leg of his lavish European vacation along the Amalfi coast,” read the article, sharing photos similar to the viral images, where you can clearly see the woman is not Thunberg. “The 48-year-old was joined by his niece, father and stepmother,” read the caption of the photo. Similar reports can be seen here and here, which confirms that the viral images were digitally altered.
We also ran the image past TrueMedia, an AI content-detection tool, which stated there was “some evidence of manipulation”.
The Academy Award-winning actor, a prominent environmental campaigner, had earlier shown his appreciation and his support by helping Thunberg in her fight against the environmental emergency facing future generations. In 2019, DiCaprio had praised the then teenage climate change activist as a “leader of our time” following their first meeting. We, however, did not come across any reports or evidence of a deeper relationship between the two, further indicating that the viral purported photo of the two aboard a luxury yacht was likely an attempt by some users to portray them as hypocrites with respect to their climate action advocacy.
Also Read: Viral Video Showing Devendra Fadnavis’ Fierce Attack On Owaisi Is Old
Result: Altered Media
Source
Page Six article, June 13, 2023
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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.
