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 was 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: 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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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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