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PODCAST

Truth or Fake

FRANCE 24 English

Truth or Fake is a fact-checking rendez-vous in association with the FRANCE 24 Observers. Our content focuses on false images circulating online and how to identify them. Monday to Thursday at 8:45pm and 10:20pm Paris time.

news & politics

All Episodes

00:06:12

'Escalatorgate': Trump accuses UN of 'triple sabotage'

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/25

In a lengthy 357-word diatribe online, US President Donald Trump blasted the UN for what he called "triple sabotage" during his address to the UN General Assembly, after an escalator, teleprompter and sound system malfunctions. His post has triggered a slew of conspiracy theories under the hashtag #EscalatorGate. Vedika Bahl goes through them in this edition of Truth or Fake.

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00:05:10

'RaptureTok': Christians prepare for the 'end of the...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/24

People are selling their cars, quitting their jobs and saying goodbye to their children. On TikTok, viral videos show Christians preparing for what they call the "Rapture", predicted to take place on September 23 or 24. It all stems from a prediction made by a South African pastor several months ago, in which he said Jesus spoke to him. But for all the believers, there's also been a slew of online mockery about the latest doomsday theory, as Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake.

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00:06:18

Fact-checking Trump's claims of a link between...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/23

US President Donald Trump has made sweeping statements urging Americans not to use the over-the-counter painkiller acetaminophen (paracetamol) during pregnancy, saying it had links to autism. But he provided little scientific evidence to back this up. He also made sweeping statements about there being "virtually no autism" amongst the Amish or in Cuba. Most dangerously, he also repeated debunked claims about vaccines causing autism. FRANCE 24's Vedika Bahl fact-checks these claims in Truth or

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00:04:37

Defiant French town halls fly Palestinian flags...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/22

To mark France's recognition of a Palestinian state, 50 town halls across France have hoisted the Palestinian flag onto their facades. It's a defiant move against a government order by hardline Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau that ordered them not to do so, saying that displaying flags violates the French "principle of neutrality." But what is this principle, and what does the law say about the flag flying? Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.

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00:04:55

DOJ deletes report on far-right violence after Kirk...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/17

A 2024 US Department of Justice study was scrubbed from the department’s website just days after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The report found that far-right extremism had caused “far more” deaths in the US than attacks by left-wing or radical Islamist groups. Its findings stand in stark contrast to recent statements from the Trump administration, which have blamed “the radical left” for Kirk’s killing. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.

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00:04:36

No, these videos do not show a French cathedral...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/16

In recent days, videos allegedly showing a cathedral in the western French city of Nantes engulfed by flames have gone viral on social media. Many social media users allege that Muslims are to blame for the incident. But as FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes explains, the footage is not recent, and the person responsible was in fact a volunteer at the church itself.

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00:04:56

Musk's Grok falsely accuses police of spreading...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/15

As far-right anti-immigration demonstrators took to the streets of London on Saturday, London's Metropolitan Police posted footage of violent clashes on its official X account. Soon after, X's AI assistant Grok suggested the Met had passed off footage from 2020 as being from the rally. But as FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes explains, Grok's allegation was false.

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00:04:56

Has Qatar suspended its mediation efforts in the Gaza...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/11

In the wake of Israel's unprecedented strike on Doha, a rumour circulated online that Qatar had suspended its mediation efforts in the Gaza conflict. But this rumour is false, at least for now, as FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes explains.

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00:05:22

Viral image of Bansky mural featuring English flag is...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/10

After Banksy revealed his latest work, some social media users widely circulated an image alleging that it depicted a judge attacking a protester holding an English flag. But the image was digitally altered to include the flag, as France 24's Charlotte Hughes explains.

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00:06:40

No, this video does not show Muslims threatening to...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/09

In recent days, a string of English-speaking accounts on X have been sharing a clip they allege shows several Muslims threatening to burn down churches in France. But a closer examination shows that the video was staged, as FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes explains.

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00:04:57

How flames of French political crisis are being...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/08

In the midst of France's political crisis, low trust in politics and politicians is creating fertile ground for fake news stories to spread. An anti-government campaign calling for a nationwide shutdown on September 10 is being pushed and manipulated by bots, likely controlled by a foreign entity. We take a closer look in this edition of Truth or Fake.

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00:05:03

Did Xi Jinping snub Narendra Modi during his visit to...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/04

In the wake of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization summit in Tianjin, which was attended by more than 20 world leaders earlier this week, some internet users are claiming that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was snubbed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during the event. But videos alleging to portray Xi refusing to shake Modi's hand were taken out of context in a bid to mislead viewers, as FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes explains.

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00:04:26

Venezuela claims Trump's deadly strike on alleged...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/03

A Venezuelan government official claims footage showing a strike on a vessel allegedly carrying illegal narcotics bound for the US - first shared by Donald Trump - is AI-generated. Though he didn't substantiate with evidence, he attached screenshots of a conversation with an AI chatbot. In this edition of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl explains why AI chatbots, and even specific AI detection tools are never 100% reliable in verifying synthetic content.

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00:05:22

Death hoaxes, bruised hands, AI photos: What we know...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/02

In recent days, speculation surrounding US President Donald Trump's health has swirled on social media. His media absence has fuelled rumours about his condition, following public photos showing bruised and swollen body parts. In this episode of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl goes through what we know about the US president's health so far, as well as a deep dive into how AI enhancement can actually distort images further.

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00:05:57

No, this Scottish schoolgirl wasn't brandishing...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/09/01

Elon Musk and far-right activist Tommy Robinson were amongst the thousands of social media users to amplify false anti-migrant claims that a 12-year-old girl needed weapons to "fight off migrants attacking her" in the Scottish city of Dundee. This after a viral video circulated widely online showing the girl brandishing bladed weapons. Scottish police, though, found no evidence substantiating the social media allegations. FRANCE 24's Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake.

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00:04:47

Could burning the US flag land you in jail?

Truth or Fake ·

2025/08/28

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that seeks to prosecute, where possible, people caught burning the US flag. But according to a 1989 US Supreme Court ruling, flag burning is an expression protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution. FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes breaks down what this all means in practice.

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00:06:00

How accurate are Trump's claims about crime in...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/08/27

After sending National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington DC, President Donald Trump looks intent on expanding the role of the US military in domestic law enforcement across the country. He justified the deployment to DC with a series of claims about violent crime in the city. But as FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes explains, these claims do not tell the whole story.

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00:05:53

Was Trump removed from a list of Nobel Peace Prize...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/08/26

Nobel laureates are gathering in Germany this week for a meeting dedicated to the field of economic science. Hoping to join their ranks in the future is US President Donald Trump, who has made no secret of the fact that he would like to be awarded the prestigious accolade. A rumour has surfaced that Trump has been removed from the list of nominees this year, but as FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes explains, this rumour has no factual basis.

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00:06:41

Famine in Gaza City: Did the UN's hunger monitor...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/08/25

Since the UN-backed IPC declared that Gaza City and its surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, Israel has slammed the report as "lies'" and "Hamas propaganda". Now, Israel has attacked the methodology used by the IPC, saying that it lowered its own threshold to change the goalposts and make declaring a famine easier. In this episode, Vedika Bahl deep-dives into how the IPC measures famine, and if there's any truth to Israel's claim.

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00:05:17

Does sunscreen increase the risk of skin cancer?...

Truth or Fake ·

2025/07/17

A recent anti-sunscreen narrative has swept social media, claiming that sunscreen increases the risk of skin cancer due to toxic chemicals, and that as SPF usage has increased, so have melanomas. What's the scientific backing behind these claims? Vedika Bahl talks us through in this edition of Truth or Fake.

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223 results

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