Several widely shared images and videos contain an invisible SynthID watermark and other clues they were generated with AI, including garbled text and reusing old protest photos.
Here are the latest articles published by U.S. fact-checking sites:
Lead Stories→ Prebunk: Houses on Stilts Lift You Above Reality — Flood of AI-Generated Hydraulic Escape Systems
Have you seen viral videos showing houses being lifted up on hydraulic stilts to avoid floodwater? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos and found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. While there are so
Lead Stories→ What We Know About Claims That Early Voters’ Ballots Were Switched in States Including Florida, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas
Are the ballots of early voters in Florida, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and other states being switched after they vote? Here's what we know so far: Some social media posts leading up to the November 2026 midterm elections incl
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Images Showing ‘Satanic Rituals On Epstein Island’ With Epstein, The Clintons, Bill Gates, And Stephen Hawking — Made Or Edited With Google AI
Do real leaked images show satanic rituals taking place on Epstein Island with Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates, the Clintons, and Stephen Hawking? No, that's not true: Google's SynthID detection tool found a watermark indicating each of the f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Touchscreen Voting Machine Selecting Wrong Candidate From The 2026 Election — Clips Are From 2014 And 2019
Does a video show touchscreen voting machines selecting the wrong candidates for the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm elections? No, that's not true: The video combines two clips from earlier elections, one from 2019 and the other from 2014. Neither
Full Fact→ France protests: fact checked
We’ve spotted several AI images and videos being shared online with claims they show protests and violent incidents in France, as well as old footage dating back to 2023.
Full Fact→ Has the government legislated to ‘adjust’ the state pension triple lock?
Full Fact looks at Andy Burnham’s pledge to legislate this Parliament to change the triple lock mechanism.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE AI-Generated Charlie Hebdo Cover On French Protests Does NOT Show Oct. 21, 2026, Issue — Or Any Other Issue
Does a viral picture show a real Charlie Hebdo cover featuring protesters chanting 'free Palestine' alongside 'free iPhone' and 'free Balenciaga'? No, that's not true: The magazine's website did not show such a cover published in October
Full Fact→ Viral clip shows Bangladesh coast not ships stuck in Strait of Hormuz
A viral video claims to show hundreds of ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. But the shoreline doesn’t match—it was actually filmed over Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Prove Trump Waved To Nobody Before Boarding Marine One — People Are Outside Camera View
Does a video prove President Donald Trump waved to nobody outside the White House before boarding Marine One for Kansas on Oct. 19, 2026? No, that's not true: The clip is missing important context. In longer versions of the video and in v
FactCheck.org→ Controversial Ohio Ad Calls Acton a ‘Liar,’ But Records Back Her Account of Childhood
The campaign of Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican running for governor in Ohio, sparked controversy this week with an ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton. In the ad, Acton’s mother calls her a “liar” who is
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Images, Videos Show Pink Panther at Paris Protests
Do viral images and videos of a person dressed as the cartoon character Pink Panther actually show October 2026 protests in France? No, that's not true: Results from three online tools showed that this content was produced by AI. Manual r
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Shows Madrid Street Vendors NOT Paris Looters — Footage Predates Recent French Rioting
Does a video show street vendors in Paris selling merchandise that came from looted Paris shops? No, that's not true: The video shows street vendors in Madrid, Spain, and was published on X on Oct. 11, 2026, with a caption critical of the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Man Claiming to Be Ex-Student of Democratic Senate Nominee James Talarico — Real Zyon Lewis Says It Is Not Him
Does a real video show a man claiming to be a former student of Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico? No, that's not true: Zyon Lewis, the man supposedly depicted in the video, told Lead Stories in a phone interview that it was not hi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Tesla Roadster Flying Off Building Roof In The Middle Of A City — It Is AI-Generated
Is a video that shows a Tesla Roadster flying off the roof of a building in the middle of a city real? No, that's not true: An online tool determined the video was AI-generated. The footage does not match the video released of the Tesla R
Full Fact→ Google updates AI detector after Full Fact investigation finds it flagging apparently real images
Our investigation found the tool claimed five images shared by politicians were “made or edited” with AI, when those who’d posted them said they weren’t.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Of Woman With ‘Refugees Welcome Here’ Sign Does NOT Show October 2026 French Protests — It Is AI-Altered Photo From London 2016
Does a viral composite image show a woman holding a 'Refugees welcome here' sign in front of a looted store during the October 2026 Paris protests? No, that's not true: The side of the composite image that allegedly show the woman with an
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Numbers, October 2026 Update
Summary So far, under President Donald Trump’s second term: Job growth became sluggish, with only 776,000 jobs created. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.2%, still historically low. Inflation worsened. Consumer prices are up 5.4%.
Full Fact→ How much of the fall in pensioner poverty is ‘thanks’ to the Conservatives?
Conservative shadow minister Helen Whately claimed that the halving of pensioner poverty was “in no small part” thanks to her party. But most of that fall happened when Labour was in power.
Full Fact→ Photo of elderly French couple ‘stripped and robbed’ during riots is AI
A viral image appears to show an elderly French couple in their underwear after supposedly being stripped and robbed during the recent riots in France. But it isn’t real and was made with AI.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows People Fishing iPhones Out of Water After Missile Attack on Ship in Strait of Hormuz — It Is AI
Does a real video show people grabbing floating iPhones from the sea after a missile attack sank a ship near the Strait of Hormuz? No, that's not true: There is no evidence for rumors that the ships that were attacked in the Strait of Hor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Palestinian Flag at Tower of Pisa Does Not Show October 2026 Italian Protests — It’s From 2023
Does a viral video show the Palestinian flag hanging from the Tower of Pisa in Italy during October 2026 protests? No, that's not true: The footage predated 2026 rallies and looting incidents by almost three years. The video started circu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows Netanyahu In Front Of Whiteboard Plan Involving "SPAIN" — Generated With OpenAI
Does a real photo show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in front of a whiteboard plan involving "SPAIN"? No, that's not true: An online tool concluded that the image was generated using OpenAI tools. Lead Stories found no matchin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Flyers Were NOT Sent By ‘Texas Transgender Student Union’ — There Is NO Such Group
Does a flyer mailed to Texas homes come from the "Texas Transgender Student Union"? No, that's not true: The flyers refer readers to the Transgender Education Network of Texas, which said the mailers "were not authored, authorized, approv
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Eiffel Tower Did NOT Burn, Fall Down During October 2026 Protests In Paris — Videos Are AI-Generated
Did a video of the burning Eiffel Tower actually show Paris in October 2026? No, that's not true: As of publication, webcams in the French capital live-streamed footage of the unharmed landmark. Two online AI detectors determined that the
FactCheck.org→ Ads in Maine Make Misleading Tax Claims About Jackson
In the Maine Senate race, ads from pro-Republican groups give Democratic candidate Troy Jackson the nickname “Taxin’ Jackson,” but they make misleading claims about his proposal for Social Security taxes and his votes on some other issues.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Security Camera Video Shows A Large Bull Shark Near Dock In Cape Coral, Florida, Is AI-Generated
Does real security camera footage capture the moment a large bull shark made a splash in a Cape Coral canal as a pet dog barked? No, that's not true: This video appeared on Instagram with an AI label applied by Meta, and on TikTok and Fac
Full Fact→ Video of Palestine and Jordan flags flying from top of Eiffel Tower is AI-generated
Footage appearing to show the Palestinian and Jordanian flags flying from the Eiffel Tower contains visual inconsistencies indicating it was created or edited using artificial intelligence.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Denzel Washington Did NOT Say He ‘Never Met Anyone Braver, Smarter Or Who Cares More About America Than Donald Trump’
Did Denzel Washington say he "never met anyone braver, smarter or who cares more about America than Donald Trump"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the actor, director and producer said this. No established news outlets have
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Image Of Elderly French Couple Robbed Of Clothing During Oct. 17 Riots — AI Image Illustrates Unconfirmed Incident
Does a real image show an elderly couple wearing only underwear standing near masked rioters, after they were apparently robbed of their clothing and possessions? No, that's not true: Images circulating on social media were made with Open
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows Indiana Fan Who Looks Like Charlie Kirk At Ohio State Game — It’s AI-Generated
Is an image of an Indiana Hoosiers fan who looks like Charlie Kirk at the football game held against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 17, 2026, real? No, that's not true: Footage from the Fox broadcast shows a person with a mustache and cu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Of Trump With Blond Giants Does NOT Show Real Event — It is AI-Generated
Is there a real video showing President Donald Trump in a mysterious cave with unidentified blond giants and unidentified personnel? No, that's not true: AI detectors determined the video was highly likely to be AI-generated, and news sea
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Law Enforcement Did NOT Name Deputy Rachel Taylor As Suspect In The Fatal Wichita Stryker Car Ramming
Did authorities name Sedgwick County Deputy Sheriff Rachel Taylor as a suspect in the fatal car ramming at the Stryker Sports Complex? No, that's not true: The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office called the claim false and said Taylor was no
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Palestinian And Jordanian Flags On Top Of The Eiffel Tower In Paris — It Is Digitally Fabricated
Does a real video show a Palestinian and Jordanian flag on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in October 2026? No, that's not true: An online tool concluded that the video was 99.1% likely to be AI-generated and a visual inspection showed p
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The White House Did NOT Post Image Of Trump And Other Half-Naked Men In Sauna — It Came From Satire Account
Did the official White House account publish a sauna picture of Donald Trump surrounded by five bare-chested men? No, that's not true: Neither the White House account nor archived copies of it showed such a post. What looked like a screen
Full Fact→ Viral image of protesters waving Palestinian flags outside the Eiffel Tower is AI-generated
A widely shared image showing protesters with fireworks and Palestinian flags outside the Eiffel Tower isn’t real. It contains an invisible SynthID watermark and there are several visual glitches.
Full Fact→ Old video shared as French student protests
A clip showing police with shields and batons has been online since at least March 2023, and does not show the recent student protests in France.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of AI Recruiter Job Interview With AI Agent Representing Applicant Is NOT Real — It’s A Staged Parody
Is a video of an AI agent representing a job candidate during an interview by an AI recruiter real? No, that's not true: The video showing the chaos of two AI agents talking to each other during the interview was staged as a parody, accor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Atheist Haydn Sophie Dollery’ Is NOT The Silver Rail Elementary Shooting Suspect — Photo Is From A Virginia Case
Does an image shared on social media show the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting suspect in Bend, Oregon? No, that's not true: It is a photo of an unrelated person named Hadyn Dollery, whose image was taken from a Virginia sheriff's o
Lead Stories→ Prebunk: AI-Generated Old-Price Supermarket Comparisons To Prove Inflation Do Not Add Up — We Brought Receipts
Have you seen viral videos showing Walmart receipts compared, one old and one new? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such images recently and has found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. They do not show real