🇮🇷 Social media posts have circulated an image of a pink missile with a Farsi inscription claiming it was made at the request of an Iranian girl to target Israel. But it is not real; the image is AI-generated.
Read more: u.afp.com/PinkMissile
As rumours about Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos's ill health swirled online, an altered photo was shared in posts accusing GMA News of being complicit in hiding the leader's condition
The recently taken photo was edited to add a 2024 date in the background
u.afp.com/AlteredGMApic
Headshots of Pope Leo XIV (L) and US President Donald Trump
Fake Trump post ordering Catholic Church probe spreads amid pope spat.
Read more: u.afp.com/SE69
🇳🇬 After a deadly attack in Nigeria’s Plateau State on Palm Sunday, a video of a grieving woman circulated online with claims she lost her family in the violence. But the footage is unrelated; it is from a 2025 documentary.
Read more: u.afp.com/NGPalmSunday
A man uses a gas pump at a Shell gas station in Houston, Texas, on March 16, 2026
Motorists concerns over E15 fuel overblown, experts say. Read more: u.afp.com/SEsZ
🌕️ NASA's historic Artemis II mission in April has captivated the world, but a glitch seen in a broadcast of the trip has stoked conspiracy theories that it was staged.
The original live feed shows no text overlay peeking through the Moon mission's official plush mascot
u.afp.com/ArtemisIIGlitch
The Justice Ministry and an independent expert rejected online claims that Bill C-9 will "criminalize the Bible," telling AFP that the bar for what constitutes hate speech has been set intentionally high based on court rulings.
Read more: u.afp.com/SEJA
🇿🇦 Protests tied to the alleged coronation of a Nigerian 'king' in South Africa’s Eastern Cape escalated into violence in late March 2026. But a circulating clip of burning taxis does not show the unrest; the footage is from 2021.
Read more: u.afp.com/NigerianKing
Screenshot of an X post with a red x across it to indicate that it is false
Claims that this video shows US troops returning home as a result of the pause in fighting with Iran are false.
The March clip captured Iowa National Guard members returning from deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, against the Islamic State group u.afp.com/IowaHomecoming
Image taken by Artemis astronaut? FALSE
This side-by-side appears to be the product of artificial intelligence, and experts told us it does not actually include the new photo or Earth taken by the Artemis crew.
Read more: u.afp.com/SEJG
Screenshot of a false post from X on the left next to a screenshot from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Network showing the origin of the footage
Footage of US airman's rescue from Iran?
No, the video shows US Marines during a training exercise at Fort Irwin, California in July 2024.
Read more: u.afp.com/SEJc
Footage of US fighter jet taken out in Iran? FALSE
Iranian and American forces are racing to recover the crew of the first US jet crashed in Iran since the start of the war.
But a widely shared clip claiming to show the aircraft getting hit is old footage from a war simulation game u.afp.com/SbLG
Read our full digital investigation report to learn more on how AFP is adapting to mounting pressures, including the rapid rise of AI: u.afp.com/SbBi
Stephanie Fairweather shows a smartphone photo of her late brother Denton Loudermill Jr.
We also spoke with victims of misinformation including the family of Denton Loudermill Jr. who said the false association of his image with the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade contributed to his death u.afp.com/Sbn8
Screenshot taken from The Stephen Colbert Show on CBS showing AFP's fact check headlined: "White House's Chicago 'chaos' video uses footage from other cities
When the White House posted a video to justify deploying National Guard troops to Chicago, we found the footage was lifted from operations in other states, some pre-dating the Trump administration. The article was featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert u.afp.com/Sbnz
Mark Carney speaks from a podium with a banner reading "We are Canada strong." Men and women stand watching the speech from behind him.
🇨🇦🗳️ During Canada’s federal election we debunked everything from fake quotes to false accusations of ballot mismanagement u.afp.com/SbnT
People cross the street in front of an armoured SWAT vehicle
A wave of false active shooter reports sent dozens of US college campuses into lockdown at the start of the fall semester. We examined the dangers these hoax calls can cause u.afp.com/SbnP
View of the CDC building in Atlanta
After the CDC changed its guidance to cast doubt on the scientific consensus that vaccines do not cause autism we broke down what the health research actually says u.afp.com/SbnE
Cars sit in traffic on a highway in California
Scientists also told AFP their research had been distorted or misrepresented in a report by the US Department of Energy which downplayed the role of human activity in global warming u.afp.com/SbnH
A black baseball cap with "Make America Healthy Again" on it
The White House was forced to edit its flagship report on children's health after it initially cited at least four studies that do not exist. The listed authors told AFP the papers were never written u.afp.com/SbnV
The US and Canadian flags wave in the wind
🇺🇸🇨🇦 From faulty US government reports to dangerous swatting hoaxes, unfounded health claims to false election fraud narratives, look over some of our most impactful work from North America in 2025 👇#FactCheckingDay
The strategic landscape of 2025 represented a fundamental shift in the global disinformation paradigm.
Read more in AFP’s 2025 Digital Investigation report u.afp.com/SbXn
Our Abuja-based fact-checker in Nigeria, Samad Uthman, scooped top prize at the African Fact-Checking Awards in Senegal for debunking an AI-generated video touting a fake herbal cure u.afp.com/Sbd7
Amid tensions over claims of “genocide” against white farmers in South Africa, visuals shared by US President Donald Trump during a meeting with his counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa were debunked u.afp.com/Sbd8
📷 JIM WATSON
Following a deadly church attack and mass kidnappings in Nigeria, AI-generated visuals spread online, including fake scenes of worshippers attending a church service armed with rifles for protection u.afp.com/SbdX
During Tanzania’s October polls, an internet blackout and rights abuse allegations fuelled misinformation. Old and unrelated visuals were widely shared as “evidence” of unrest u.afp.com/SbdB
📷 MARCO LONGARI
Following deadly anti-government protests in Kenya and a crackdown on dissent, we investigated coordinated disinformation campaigns targeting activists on X. Seven hashtags were linked to organised online attacks u.afp.com/SQFK
📷️ TONY KARUMBA
In Ethiopia, we exposed how weak content moderation is putting users at risk, especially in local languages Amharic, Tigrinya and Afaan Oromoo. Activists faced unchecked harassment and death threats, forcing some into exile u.afp.com/SbXx
🌍️ From AI-generated visuals and election misinformation to conflict narratives and coordinated online attacks, 2025 exposed how false information is shaping events across Africa. Here's a sample of our top debunks from across the continent for #InternationalFactCheckingDay
⚽️ After Senegal's AFCON victory was appealed and reversed by football officials in favour of Morocco in March, posts claimed the 1976 final should have seen Guinea awarded the trophy, a matter they were now said to be contesting.
See why these claims are false u.afp.com/Sb8r