A viral photo showing a TIME Magazine cover with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo calling him a 'superspreader' is fake.
The fake magazine cover reads, 'Superspreader, Will humanity now have to pay for one man's hunger for power?' drawing attention to the growing COVID-19 crisis in the country.
This is being shared in the backdrop of PM Modi earlier receiving criticism over addressing election rallies in West Bengal as the state sees a massive rise in COVID-19 cases. The Election Commission of India on April 24, 2021, banned road shows and vehicle rallies in West Bengal and said no public meeting having more than 500 people would be allowed.
The viral image has the caption, "Destroying India. Thank you TIMES for showing the truth about Modi"
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BOOM also received the viral photo on its WhatsApp helpline number (7700906111).
Also Read: No, This Is Not A Death Certificate With PM Modi's Image On It
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that no such TIME magazine cover exists and the viral photo has been created using a website where one can create a fake TIME magazine cover.
On observing the viral cover we found that the top left corner had the date 'July 17, 2006' written on it. We then compared the viral cover with a fake TIME magazine generator and found that both the formats match.
The same date - 'July 17, 2006', and 'AOL Keyword - TIME' can be seen on the fake cover as on the website where one can manually create fake TIME magazine covers.
We also did not find any trace of this cover in TIME magazine's online archive 'The Vault,' where one can see all the front page covers released by the magazine.
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Additionally, the July 17, 2006, cover of TIME magazine was on 'The End of Cowboy Diplomacy' and not on Modi. (Click here to view)
BOOM has previously debunked fake TIME magazine covers that have gone viral, like a fake TIME magazine cover with former US President Donald Trump and the headline 'TIME...to go'
Also Read: 'TIME...to go' Cover Featuring Donald Trump Is Fake