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 Kamala Harris with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who had killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial over federal sex-trafficking charges.
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 September 17, 2015, with the caption reading, “Douglas Emhoff and Kamala Harris attend The Broad Museum Black Tie Inaugural Dinner at The Broad on September 17, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.” The same photo was used by multiple media outlets, seen here and here, confirming that the man is Douglas Emhoff, Harris’s husband.
A comparison confirms that Epstein’s face was superimposed over Emhoff in the original image (left).
A further search led us to multiple reports, including AFP, Reuters and USA Today, confirming that the viral image is edited, while stating that the photo of Epstein’s face in the viral picture with Harris is a mugshot taken by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department
Also Read: ‘Go Back Rahul Gandhi’ Protest In Manipur? No, Old Video From Assam Shared With False Claim
Result: Altered Media
Source
Getty Images, September 17, 2015
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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.
