No, MK Stalin's Image Was Not Displayed at Times Square; Viral Image Is Edited

This viral image was digitally edited to put MK Stalin's face on the Times Square.

Fact-check: An altered image is going viral to claim that MK Stalin's images were displayed on billboards in Times Square, New York.

(Photo: The Quint)

An image is going viral online which shows Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on huge billboards in Times Square, New York.

Some context: Stalin is on an official visit to the United States, where he secured Rs 400 crore investment from Ohmium in Chengalpattu district, which will create around 500 jobs.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

What's the truth?: This image is altered.

• The original image has been on the internet since 2011 and does not show Stalin's images on any billboard.

How did we find out the truth?: We first performed a relevant keyword search on Google using the 'MK Stalin Times Square billboard' and found no credible news report about this.

• We also checked official social media accounts of Stalin and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and found no such image of the Times Square.

• Then we performed a reverse image search on the viral image on Google and came across a website carrying the original version of the image.

• This was shared on 2 January 2015 and the article explained the history of Times Square.

You can see the blog here.

(Source: Website/Screenshot)

We then compared the two image and found similarities.

The viral image is edited.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

The reverse image search also led us to a Facebook post which was shared on 3 September 2011 and it carried the original image.

We also checked the viral image's authenticity on True Media, a free tool used to detect deepfakes and AI-generated content, and it concluded that the image is digitally manipulated.

This image is edited.

(Source: TrueMedia/Screenshot)

Conclusion: An altered image is going viral, claiming that MK Stalin's images were displayed on billboards in Times Square, New York.

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