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.

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Claim: Image shows explosion resulting from Israel’s targeted airstrikes in Iran on 26 October. Fact: The image is old and shows a fire that broke out at an oil refinery in Tehran in June 2021. On 26 October, X user @RadarHits posted a picture (archive) apparently showing an explosion somewhere in Iran, after Israel’s targeted […]

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Claim: Video shows Palestinian prisoners that are held captive by Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Fact: The video shows scenes from a rehabilitation centre in Peshawar. On 1 July 2024, X user @josevico4 posted a video on X (archive), showing frail, shirtless men, with a caption in Spanish. The user wrote [translated from […]

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Claim: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was admitted to a hospital after Iran’s 1 October attacks on Israel. Fact: There are no credible news reports to suggest that Netanyahu was recently hospitalised, especially following Iran’s attack on Israel in October. The claim circulating on social media is false. On 4 October, X user @IR_Urdu claimed […]

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Claim: A video shows a minor accidentally shooting his father at a Pakistani wedding. Fact: The video is from 2008 when a minor accidentally shot his father at a wedding in Aleppo, Syria. On 21 October, X user @WarMonitorClips posted a video (archive) showing a toddler shooting his father during a wedding, and claimed: “Crazy […]

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Claim: A video shows Palestinian women wearing a burqa, a loose-fitting garment covering the whole body, participating in a beauty pageant. Fact: The video is from Syria and it shows burqa-wearing women receiving awards for memorising the Quran. On 9 October, X user @realMaalouf posted a video (archive) that shows burqa-wearing women walking down the […]

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Claim: Video shows French President Emmanuel Macron criticising Israel regarding the on-going Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Fact: The video is AI-generated. On 9 October, X user @DrEliDavid posted a video (archive) apparently showing Emmanuel Macron criticising Israel. He wrote: “Congratulations to Macron for his new position as H×mas spokesperson.” In the footage, Macron is criticising […]

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Claim: A video shows Pakistan Tehreek Insaf’s (PTI) rally at D-Chowk held earlier this month. Fact: The video is clearly AI-generated. On 5 October, X user @Abdulla_Alamadi posted a video (archive) apparently showing Pakistan Tehreek Insaf’s (PTI) supporters marching on a road to D-Chowk during a protest. The user wrote: “𝑫𝙊 𝙊𝑹 𝑫𝙄𝑬: The Pakistani […]

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Claim: A video shows clashes between security forces and Pakistan Tehreek Insaf’s (PTI) supporters in Islamabad in October 2024. Fact: The video is from Bangladesh when student-led protests were held against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024, leading to her ouster. On 5 October, X user @RealBababanaras shared (archive) four videos apparently […]

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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 […]

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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:    […]

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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, […]

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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 […]

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