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
American singer Taylor Swift holds a banner endorsing former US President Donald Trump at the Grammys red carpet.
Fact
Taylor Swift held up no such flag, viral video is edited.
Several social media users are circulating a video purportedly showing American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift posing with a banner that endorses former US President Donald Trump at the Grammys red carpet, further pushing the conspiracy theory that Trump actually won the 2020 election.
The modern pop icon had made history at the 66th Grammy Awards, held on Sunday, becoming the first performer to win the prize for album of the year four times.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Taylor Swift Trump banner Grammys”, which did not lead us to any credible news report about such an incident.
We noticed that the viral video had a watermark reading, “Variety”, following which we ran a relevant keyword search that led us to this Youtube short, dated February 5, of Swift on the red carpet, where we do not see her holding any banner supporting Trump.
We then came across the longer version of Swift’s appearance on the red carpet, uploaded by the official Grammys Youtube channel on February 5, 2024.
A comparison of screengrabs of the viral video (left) and the original video, where an assistant is adjusting Swift’s dress, indicate that the video has been altered, considering Swift had donned long black gloves, while the viral clip showed her bare hands.
Several articles about Swift’s dress for the event, particularly her black gloves, and featuring her photos, seen here and here, further confirm that the viral video was digitally manipulated.
We also came across multiple reports, including Forbes, France24, reiterating that the viral video was completely fake and was altered.
Also Read: Media Outlets Misreport Video Of Men Dancing In Elephant Costume, As Real
Conclusion
Viral video of Taylor Swift endorsing Donald Trump at the Grammys red carpet found to be digitally manipulated.
Result: Altered media
Sources
Youtube video, Variety, February 5, 2024
Youtube video, Grammys, February 5, 2024
Forbes report, February 5, 2024
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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.
