Old, Unrelated Videos Falsely Shared as Recent Visuals From 2023 Burning Man

While both the visuals were unrelated to 2023 Burning Man event, the purported report had been digitally altered.

A set of two videos is going viral on the internet with users linking it to the 2023 Burning Man. Along with this, a screenshot of a purported report from Forbes is being shared to claim that there was an Ebola outbreak at the event.

What's the event about?: According to its website, the event is a "global ecosystem of artists, makers, and community organizers who co-create art, events, and local initiatives around the world."

(You can find archives of similar claims can be found here, here, here, and here.)

What is the truth?: All these claims are false.

• The first video showing a woman walking in the mud is from a Balenciaga fashion show and dates back to 2022.

• The second video which shows a fire in a desert could be traced back to at least 2020 and is reportedly from the Burning Man event held in 2019.

• The purported screenshot of the Forbes' report has been digitally altered.

VIDEO 1

We performed a keyword search using the words "model walking on mud" and found a video uploaded on the verified YouTube channel of Balenciaga.

• The video was titled, "Balenciaga Summer 23 Collection" and was uploaded on 2 October 2022.

• At around the 14:43 mark of the video, one could see the same model walking in mud.

News reports: According to a report published in Vogue in October 2022, the visuals were taken during Balenciaga's 'The Mud Show'. The show was set in a mud grave and also saw rapper Ye, also known as Kanye West, opening the show.

VIDEO 2

On conducting a Google Lens search on the keyframes of the viral video, we came across the same video uploaded on Tik Tok.

• Since the platform is banned in India, we used a VPN tool to access the video which was uploaded on 28 April 2020.

• The text in the video indicated that the video was from 2019 edition of Burning Man event.

Further, we found a video uploaded on YouTube which carried some similar visuals as the viral one.

• The video was uploaded on 7 September 2019.

• It was titled, "Burning Man Fire Tornado Mayhem 2019."

• We compared a keyframe from the viral video to the one uploaded on YouTube and found some similarities.

• While we could not independently verify the location or the context of the video, it is clear that the video predates the 2023 Burning Man event.

ARTICLE ON EBOLA OUTBREAK

We performed a keyword search to find the report titled "Yes, There's An Ebola Outbreak At Burning Man" published on Forbes.

• However, we did not find any such article.

• We searched for the author's name, Matt Novak, on Google and found an article written by him on Forbes.

• The article was titled, "No, There’s Not An Ebola Outbreak At Burning Man."

• On comparing both the images, we found that the viral screenshot has been digitally altered.

• Towards the end of the report, we found that the author addressed the viral screenshot and called people out for altering the headline.

What is happening in Burning Man event?: According to a report in CNN, thousands of people were trapped in the Nevada desert where the event was happening. This was due to heavy rains which created ankle-deep mud in the area.

• People were reportedly asked to conserve food, water, and fuel after a rainstorm swamping the area which in turn halted the arrival or departure of anybody from the event.

Conclusion: Several unrelated and altered visuals are being shared with users falsely linking them to the 2023 Burning Man event.

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