WebQoof Recap: US Prez Debate, Yogi’s Rally, Tanishq Ad & more
Here’s a quick round-up of all that misled the public this week.
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From US President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden making misleading and false claims at the final US Presidential Debate to social media users sharing old image, showing massive crowd to claim that it was from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s recent rally in Bihar, here’s a quick recap of all that misled the public this week.
1. COVID, Obamacare: What Trump, Biden Got Wrong in The Final Debate
The last and the final United States Presidential debate, which took place at Belmont University in Nashville on Friday, 23 October, saw President Donald Trump once again repeating misleading and false claims about COVID-19, for which he has been fact-checked numerous times in the past.
Former Vice President and Democratic candidate Joe Biden too, made some incorrect statement pertaining to Obamacare and Social Security.
Talking about the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump once again downplayed the severity of the virus.
"We're rounding the corner. It's going away,” Trump said.
The coronavirus situation in the USA has worsened in the past week with the country adding the highest daily cases in the world. The test positivity rate, according to John Hopkins University, is getting worse as well. Therefore, Trump’s claim that the USA is “rounding the corner” is false.
You can read the full story here.
2. Old Image Falsely Shared as Yogi Adityanath’s Recent Bihar Rally
An image of a massive crowd gathered at a ground was shared with a false claim that it showed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s recent rally in Bihar, for the upcoming Assembly elections.
The image was shared with the claim, “योगी आदित्यनाथ को सुनने के लिए बिहार की एक रैली में उमड़ा जनसैलाब.. जय श्री राम के नारों से गूंजा मैदान”
(Translation: A huge crowd gathered at a rally in Bihar to listen to Yogi Adityanath. The ground was filled with chants of Jai Shree Ram)
However, the image could be traced back to 2014. A reverse image search led us to a website, Desh Gujarat, which had shared the image on 5 February 2014 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Kolkata.
You can read the full story here.
3. No, That’s Not the Indian Flag at a Protest Rally in Pakistan
A viral image from a protest rally in Pakistan’s Karachi was viral on social media with a claim that it showed protesters in the crowd waving the Indian tricolour. However, we found that the image was photoshopped to add the Indian flag.
We performed a Google reverse image search on the photo and came across a tweet by the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) or the PML (N), a key Opposition party in the country and found the same image.
We compared the viral image with the image shared by PML(N) on Twitter and found that the viral image was photoshopped to show the Indian flag.
You can read the full story here.
4. No, Jama Masjid Isn’t Issuing Fatwa Against Tanishq Advertisement
Several social media users had shared a still from the controversial Tanishq advertisement which was withdrawn by the company, with a claim that Ahmed Bukhari, shahi imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid will issue a fatwa against the said ad.
The claim finds no mention in any of the recent news reports. Speaking to The Quint, Syed Shaban Bukhari, vice shahi imam at Delhi’s Jama Masjid said that no such fatwa will be issued against the Tanishq advertisement.
“There is no truth to this claim. It’s totally fake,” he said
You can read the full story here.
5. Video of Teacher Harassing Minor Girl Is from Pakistan Not India
A video of a man harassing a minor girl was shared on social media with an insinuation that the incident took place in a madrasa in India.
The video is being shared by users with the claim,“बंद करो ये मदरसे जो अश्लीलता के अड्डे बन गये हैं साधु संतो पर टिप्पणी करने वाले इस विषय अपना मुंह खोलें।”
(Translation: “Shut down these madrasas, which have become the bases of obscenity, those who comment on saints, open your mouths.”
The incident actually dates back to 2018 in Pakistan, where a man who taught the Quran in mosques was arrested for harassing a student, when this video went viral on social media.
You can read the full story here.
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