For Fact Check Friday, BOOM brings you the weekly round up of the top five fact-checks.
1. Old Video Shared As India's Attack In Pakistan's Kirana Hills
An old and unrelated video of an explosion was falsely viral as footage of an Indian Army attack on Pakistan’s Kirana Hills nuclear site. BOOM found that the video dates back to May 2015 and was originally linked to a blast in Yemen.
2. Viral Photos Of Rahul Gandhi With YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra Are Edited
Two viral photos falsely claimed to show Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with arrested YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra. BOOM found that both images were digitally manipulated— Malhotra’s face was superimposed onto original photos of UP MLA Aditi Singh and a supporter from the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
3. AI Image Of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra In BJP Gear Falsely Attributed To Aaj Tak
BOOM debunked an AI-generated image of Jyoti Malhotra that falsely claimed news channel Aaj Tak had shown her wearing a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cap and scarf. However, we ran the image on AI detection tools and found that it was fabricated.
4. Old Video Of LeT's Hafiz Saeed Shared As Recent Amid Ind-Pak Tensions
An old video of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed was falsely shared as a recent clip of him making new demands about Kashmir’s independence. BOOM found that the video is from 2017, when Saeed was detained by Pakistani authorities.
5. Fake Notice Claims Türkiye Government Urged Indian Tourists To Not Cancel Visit
Several news outlets, including The Economic Times, The New Indian Express, and Financial Times, among others, misreported a fake circular as an official statement from the Turkish government, claiming it urged Indian tourists not to cancel their trips to Türkiye. BOOM found that the circular was fake and was not issued by Turkish authorities.