Claim: The thumbnail image of an Urdu-language video shared by 24 News on YouTube and Facebook mentions that “more than 150 people have been martyred” in a “horrible blast”, accompanied by an image of an explosion.
Fact: The thumbnail image is false because there has been no blast that killed over 150 people in October 2022. The news report actually refers to 15 years having passed since the 2007 Karsaz bombing that left over 150 dead.
On 18 October 2022, 24 News posted a video, which has a thumbnail image with Urdu text — “خوفناک دھماکہ۔۔150 سے زائد افراد شہید” — that claims “more than 150 people have been martyred” in a “horrible blast”, accompanied by an image of an explosion. In addition, it also has the following text:
- “انتخابات ملتوی۔۔ہر طرف ہلچل۔۔سپریم کورٹ کا بڑا فیصلہ [Elections postponed… Chaos everywhere… Big decision of the Supreme Court]”
- “شیخ رشید لال حویلی سے باہر؟ [Sheikh Rashid out of Lal Haveli?]”
The caption accompanying the video on Facebook, as well as title of the YouTube video, is: “Horrible Blast In The City | 3pm News Headlines | 18 Oct 2022 | 24 News.” It has been posted here, here, here, and here.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check found that the 24 News’ bulletin covered 20 different news stories, such as the acquittal of Shahrukh Jatoi, a press conference led by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, PTI’s reference against the Chief Election Commissioner over alleged partiality, a rise in dengue cases in Lahore, and actor Imran Ashraf’s recent divorce.
The only mention in the news bulletin of a blast is remembering the Karsaz bombing that took place on 18 October 2007 in Karachi as PPP leaders and workers welcomed former prime minister Benazir Bhutto two months before her assassination.
Another similar, but shorter, bulletin on YouTube has the same thumbnail image but discusses other news reports as well.
Soch Fact Check concludes that 24 News’ claim that “more than 150 people have been martyred” in a “horrible blast” is false.
Virality
24 News’ YouTube and Facebook videos — here, here, here, and here — with the same thumbnail image have received more than 125,000, 12,000, 2,600, and 91 views, respectively.
Conclusion: The thumbnail image is false because there has been no blast that killed over 150 people in October 2022. The report by 24 News actually refers to 15 years having passed since the 2007 Karsaz bombing that left over 150 dead.
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[…] Therefore, we conclude that the Capital TV posts are missing context and can, therefore, mislead people. It is also an example of clickbait thumbnails, similar to those that we have investigated before, two of which are available here and here. […]