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.

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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.

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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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