Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
Yet another week, and yet another slew of misinformation on social media. An NYT article praising government schools in the national capital caused a major storm on social media with users claiming that the images used in the article were clicked at a private school. Meanwhile, several media houses reported on the Nani-Sai Pallavi starrer Shyam Singha Roy allegedly competing for Oscar nominations in three dubious categories. That and much more, here are our top 5 fact checks from the past week:
Saudi Defence Minister Spooked By Firecrackers At Chinese Embassy? No, Viral Claim Is False
A 1 minute video showing a man, seemingly an Arab dignitary, getting out of a car and being received by a welcome party, before he is suddenly whisked off by his security guards, amidst gunshots and commotion, is going viral on social media. Users sharing the video claimed that it showed the Saudi Defence Minister being startled by fireworks as he visited the Chinese Embassy in Riyadh to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Newschecker found these claims to be untrue. Read more here.
No, NYT Report On Govt Schools In Delhi Did Not Feature Image From Private School, Viral Claim Is False
An image of a New York Times front page featuring a report on the transformation of government schools in the national capital is going viral. Several users on social media are pointing out that the report was reproduced in UAE based Khaleej Times word-to-word, and cite this to be enough evidence to prove that NYT featured a paid report on the behest of AAP. Many users also claimed that one of the images used in the report, showing a young girl standing in a classroom surrounded by her peers, was in fact from a private school in Delhi’s Mayur Vihar, and not a government run school. Newschecker found that the claim was not true. Read more here.
Savarkar Convicted For Attempted Rape In 1908? Here’s What We Found
Actor Mona Ambegaonkar sparked controversy on Twitter, by first tweeting and then deleting a post claiming that VD Savarkar was first convicted in 1908, for attempted rape of an English woman called Margaret Lawrence. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison by the British in 1911 for revolting against the Morley-Minto reforms (Indian Councils Act 1909), but was released in 1924 reportedly following several mercy petitions. Ambegaonkar alleged that Savarkar had confessed to the charge of attempted rape in 1908 and was sentenced to four months in jail. Newschecker found this claim to be false. Read more here.
Shyam Singha Roy Not In Race For Oscar Nominations Yet, Indian Media Falls For Fake News
Shyam Singha Roy, the 2021 Telugu period-romance film, is back in the news months after its spectacular performance, with reports that the movie will compete for Oscar nominations in three categories — “periodic film”, “background score” and “classical cultural dance indie film”. Several Indian news outlets, including NDTV, The Print, Outlook published the news on their website, quoting an ANI report. Several social media posts, many of them from verified Twitter handles, congratulated the cast and crew of the movie and hailed the film’s purported achievement. Newschecker found this claim to be untrue. Read more here.
Hot Pineapple Water Will Not Cure Cancer, Viral Claim Is False
While the scientific community continues to research the cure for cancer, a viral social media post claims to have found a cure that has “defeated cancer”- hot pineapple water. According to the viral message circulating in WhatsApp groups, adding a few slices of chopped pineapple to hot water and drinking this mixture can help boost the body’s ability to fight the disease. Newschecker has found the claim to be false. Read more here
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Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
