April 4, 2020

Jack Goodman, BBC Watch and Trend

BBC Fact Check

Share

Save

Screenshots of BBC Stacks articles with Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter logos on topBBC

We've all been there. A coronavirus post that might be real and sounds right, but how do we know it's true?

To help, the BBC's disinformation monitoring team is checking and fact-checking some of the most shared fake and misleading stories of the week.

Was Brooklyn singing along to The Notorious B.I.G.?

It makes sense that Brooklynites in New York City would be rapping along to one of The Notorious B.I.G.'s biggest hits in unison during lockdown, right?

A video claiming exactly that has been shared thousands of times and has been viewed more than a million times in just a few days.

Screenshot of the New York skyline. Labeled "fake"

A video taken from a high-rise in New York City scans apartment buildings blaring the song Juicy by the late Brooklyn rapper Biggie.

However, the posts are fake. We know this because a comment on one of the posts revealed that the footage matches a video from a Jay-Z concert in 2010.

We also found that the video is in Manhattan, not Brooklyn — likely the Upper West Side.

So the video doesn't show a group sing-along that would give people "goosebumps" if you read the comments.

AA Teyit Line analysed the background of the allegations. Using the reverse search method, the photograph in question was scanned in search engines. It was determined that the image belonged to a series scene.

It was understood that the photograph subject to the allegation was a scene taken from the series known as "Hz. Ömer" in our country, whose original name is "Farouk Omar".

It was seen that the image in question was included in the credits and episodes of the series.

The first photographs of the Kaaba were taken by Egyptian engineer Mohammed Sadiq Bey using a wet plate collodion camera.

This news was confirmed by Anadolu Agency's confirmation line verification platform.

2. Check Information Timeliness: Check when the news was published. Old information may not reflect current events.

3. Use Multiple Sources: Compare the accuracy of information by researching the same story from different sources. Different perspectives provide a more comprehensive understanding.

4. Understand what is meant: Read the content of the news report carefully and try to understand it. Misinterpretations can lead to incorrect information.

5. Think Critically: Adopt a questioning approach when reading the news story. Think about the purpose of the story, its target audience and possible biases.

6. Beware of Provocative Content: Be especially wary of racist, hateful or misleading content. Such stories often have manipulative intentions.

Fact: This news was widely circulated in 2014-2015. At that time, there was talk that Ottoman Turkish would be taught in some religious vocational high schools and some other secondary schools as an elective course. However, the news that it would be a compulsory course was not true. The official statements of the Ministry of National Education also stated that this course would be an elective course.

Why is it fake?

Misleading headline: The news headline contains a very striking and definitive claim ("made compulsory"), but the details do not support this.

Incomplete information: It is not stated that the course will only be given in certain types of schools and will be optional.

Creating perception: It may have been presented to create a certain reaction in the public.

Impact: This type of fake news can polarize society over education policies, cause misunderstandings and unnecessary debates.

The narrative typically describes a young girl in the Netherlands who, frustrated by her mother's loud Quran recitations while she tries to listen to music, tears the Quran in anger. As a consequence, she is transformed into a creature resembling a monkey. The story often concludes with her hospitalization and her family's request for her euthanasia. However, this account is entirely fictional, designed to caution children through a fabricated tale.

​

In reality, the image attributed to this legend is a photograph of Piccinini's wax sculpture, displayed in a museum in the Netherlands. The setting is clearly a museum.

In summary, the story of the Quran-tearing girl transforming into a creature is a baseless myth, originating from a misinterpretation of contemporary art. Recognizing the true source of the image helps dispel this misinformation.

https://teyit.org/analiz/sehir-efsaneleri-kuran-i-kerim-yirtan-kiz-fareye-donustu-mu?utm_source=

1. Identify the Source: Check where the headline originated. In this case, it’s from a reputable news outlet. Reliable s

2. Cross-Verify with Multiple Sources: Look for the same news in other trusted outlets. If multiple credible sources report the same information, it’s more likely to be accurate. For example, searching for this headline in outlets like Reuters, BBC, or Al Jazeera can help confirm its validity.

3. Check for Context: Headlines can sometimes be misleading or lack context. Read the full article to understand the circumstances and details surrounding the statement. For instance, was this a recent statement by Trump, or is it being quoted from a past event?

4. Evaluate the Credibility of the Claim: If the claim involves factual data (e.g., statistics, events), verify it against official records or statements. For political claims, check government websites or official press releases.

5. 
   

Beware of Bias: Consider the potential bias of the source. Some outlets may frame news in a way that aligns with their editorial stance. Comparing how different outlets report the same story can provide a balanced view

Katy Perry said she didn't attend the Met Gala because she was on her Lifetimes Tour. She said the images on social media were created by a fan with artificial intelligence.

In short, Katy Perry's Met Gala look that we saw on social media was prepared by artificial intelligence. Katy Perry didn't attend the Met Gala.

One of the most striking examples of AI misuse in 2025 involved Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis. Her face was used without consent in an advertisement that quickly went viral across social media platforms. It was soon revealed that the visuals had been entirely created using artificial intelligence. Outraged by the unauthorized use of her image, Curtis publicly urged Mark Zuckerberg to take action, saying, “Protect me from these fake ads.” The incident has reignited debates around digital rights, celebrity privacy, and the ethical use of AI.

This image represents a frame from the fake advertisement featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, created without her consent and circulated on social media. Curtis opposed the spread of such content and called on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to have the video removed from the platform. Shortly after, Meta took down the fake advertisement.

This incident demonstrates how dangerous the misuse of artificial intelligence technology can be and how it can damage the reputation of public figures. It is important to be cautious with such fake content and to avoid sharing it without verifying its authenticity.

There are no official records from organizations like the FAA or NTSB about a missing flight like this. If such an event had truly happened, it would have been a global headline.

The story also includes many logical errors. A plane cannot stay hidden and operational for 37 years, and people cannot avoid aging during that time.

Websites like Snopes.com have confirmed that this story is a hoax. The images used in the articles are either edited or taken from unrelated events.

In conclusion, the “37-year missing plane” is just a modern myth, spread for entertainment, not a real event.

It was quickly confirmed that the news was false. No credible news outlet reported on Cem Yılmaz’s death, and his official social media accounts showed no sign of such an event. This further proved that the claim was completely unfounded.