Fake or Real? Can you identify misinformation?

Click on the images to enlarge.

This picture captioned "Nature defeats Technology" shows an eagle snatching a drone out of the sky.

• Fake

• Real

Answer explanation

Fake, sort of - the photo is real, but a bit misleading. This was actually a picture of an eagle trained to catch drones, and the photographer works for the company that trains the eagles.

Was this post fake or real?

• Fake

• Real

Answer explanation

Fake - This photo was taken in South Africa in 2016 and is unrelated to Russia or the pandemic. Source: AFP Fact Check

What are the odds?

• Fake

• Real

Answer explanation

Real - this Segway business owner really did die in a Segway accident and the story was reported by NBC News.

Will Gizmo prevail in court?

• Fake

• Real

Answer explanation

Fake - Although Joe Dante, the creator of the Gremlin, Gizmo, did tell the San Francisco Chronicle that he believes Baby Yoda is a blatant copy of his cute creation, he does not currently have plans to sue.What do you think? Does Baby Yoda look like Gremlin?

This picture was posted on social media showing birds were falling from the sky dead from being exposed to toxic chemicals released into the air from the Ohio train derailment on February 3, 2023.

• Fake

• Real

Answer explanation

Fake - these dead birds were found in downtown Little Rock possibly intoxicated from fermented berries, experts say. This picture was taken in Little Rock, AR in 2018.

Is Mickey Mouse’s career as the face of Walt Disney Co. ending?

• Fake

• Real

Answer explanation

Fake - a Disney-centric satirical website inspired false claims about Mickey Mouse being replaced as Disney's official mascot by invoking real news about a looming copyright expiration. Mickey Mouse's copyright protection is really set to expire in January 2024. A Feb. 18 fake Instagram post claimed that in 2024, a small purple dragon named Figment will take over as Disney’s official mascot.

This video shows Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing the end of Russia's war with Ukraine, and that the Russian military is surrendering.

• Fake

• Real

Answer explanation

Fake - this video was created by manipulating a real video of Putin that was originally posted by the Kremlin. While Putin's movements in the edited video and the genuine video generally matched up, the edited version manipulated Putin's mouth to make it appear as if the fabricated audio was truly coming from the Russian president. This is most noticeable during portions of the video where the real Putin is silent and the fake Putin is speaking. This is likely the first time that deepfake videos have been created and deployed in a war propaganda effort.