Anisa Shabir

Anisa Shabir is a fact-checker at Soch Fact Check. She was previously an investigative reporter at the Arizona State University’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. She has been recognized for best community service project/reporting in the 2023 EPPY Awards and won the A-Mark Prize for Reporting on Misinformation and Disinformation. Her work has been featured in the Associated Press, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting (AZCIR), Cronkite News, and Dawn. She holds an MA in investigative journalism from Cronkite School on the Fulbright Scholarship Award.

Follow this Author
True False
False

Claim: An image of Imane Khelif shirtless proves that she is actually a man. Fact: The photo is AI-generated. On September 9, an X user @MumbaichaDon posted (archive) a picture of Imane Khelif standing shirtless, with a masculine body, claiming that it shows Khelif is not a woman. The caption reads, “This is Aligerian Boxer […]

Read More
True False
False

Claim: 50 new green buses have been acquired and have arrived in Quetta, Balochistan. Fact: The provincial government has approved the acquisition of nine green buses, as part of “People’s Bus Service Quetta & Turbat,” under the 2024-2025 Public Sector Development Programme. On 30 September, a Facebook page Quetta Capital News (archive) falsely claimed :  […]

Read More
True False
False

Claim: A video shows Meena Majeed and Sarfraz Bugti embracing each other. Fact: The claim is false as the artificial Intelligence software, Vidu, was used to generate this video. On 29 September, X user @WowBaloch posted a video (archive) apparently showing Meena Majeed, a Provincial Assembly of Balochistan member, reaching out and embracing Sarfraz Bugti, […]

Read More
True False
False

Claim: Video shows Lebanese citizens celebrating the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah by Israel. Fact: The video is from January 2020 when demonstrators in Beirut, Lebanon demanded the setting up of a new government to bring an end to the economic crisis in the country at the time. On 28 September, X user @NiohBerg posted a […]

Read More
True False
False

Claim: Heather Swanson, a transgender cartoon character from the South Park animated series, is comparable to real-life Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. Fact: There is no connection between the cartoon character and real-life events surrounding Imane Khelif. Some publications called out the show for its transphobic content in 2019 for the episode in which a transgender […]

Read More
True False
False

Claim: Arab citizens and singers released a song celebrating Israel’s recent pager attacks in Lebanon. Fact: The album ‘Pager’ by a Saudi Arabian singer Saleh Khayri, was released in 1995. The song has nothing to do with the recent wave of deadly pager attacks in Lebanon. On 17 September, X user @EYakoby posted (archive) a […]

Read More
True False
False

Claim: A video shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy belly dancing. Fact: The video is altered, perhaps using AI. The clip originally shows Pablo Acosta, a belly dancer from Argentina.  On 23 September, X user @TaraBull808 posted a video (archive) which shows the Ukrainian President belly dancing. “Zelensky pulling out all the stops to get the […]

Read More
True False
False

Claim: Video shows state of the art train transporting children directly into their homes in China. Fact: The video was likely created using artificial intelligence or special effects,  and it has no connection to reality. On 6 August, an Instagram user “molly_____travel” posted a video (archive) apparently showing an advanced bullet train, transporting a child […]

Read More
True False
False

Claim: Video shows Hezbollah’s missile attack on Israel amid the recent escalation of conflict between the two countries. Fact: The video is unrelated and shows an explosion at a gas station in Aden, Yemen in August 2024. On 22 September, X user @GNMadani shared a video (archive) apparently showing Hezbollah’s missile attacks on Israel. “Breaking […]

Read More
True False
Misleading

Claim: Image shows an elephant killed in Zimbabwe after the government approved the killing of 200 elephants this month to feed the hunger-stricken families in the country. Fact: The image is, in fact, from Bangladesh, and appeared on the internet as early as 2021. On 22 September, X user @Lebona_cabonena shared an image (archive) apparently […]

Read More
True False
False

Claim: Kamala Harris owns a Haitian restaurant that uses domestic animals for food. Fact: The image showing Harris standing in front of a Haitian restaurant is fake, and is likely AI-generated. On 10 September, X user @KimsterPablo posted (archive) a picture apparently showing Kamala Harris standing outside her restaurant called “Kamala’s Haitian Grill: Featuring cats, […]

Read More
True False
False

Claim: Akhtar Mengal said that Imran Khan told him he was “on the wrong side of history and couldn’t do anything” for the Baloch people after his resignation. Fact: Mengal mentioned Mahmood Khan Achakzai in his resignation press conference, not Imran Khan. The BNP leader did not say that Imran Khan influenced his decision, nor […]

Read More