A fortnightly newsletter that looks closely at the significance of truth and falsehood in today’s news stories.
Explosion Video Reported To Be Coup In China
Recent reports suggest a coup in China and a house arrest of Xi Jinping, Chinese President. To make these reports believable, some social media users have included a video of an explosion claiming to be footage from China’s capital, Beijing, related to the coup. Yet, while we have found no evidence as yet authenticating claims of a coup in China, the explosion video was actually the explosion of a warehouse in China and has been online since, at least 2015. Read more about it here.
Deportation Of Supposed 5,000 Chinese Illegal Miners By Mahama Government
The illegal return of popular Chinese businesswoman Aisha Huang to Ghana caused her another arrest and a trial for engaging in illegal mining, stirring up scepticism from Ghanaians about possible prosecution. With these ongoing discussions, former President Mahama stated in an interview that almost 5,000 illegal Chinese miners were deported during his tenure in government. Meanwhile, data from the Ghana Immigration Service shows that less than 3,000 foreigners were deported and repatriated between 2012 and 2016 when Mahama was president. Read all about it here.
China’s Alleged Launch Of Artificial Sun Into Space
When China innovated a nuclear fission reactor known as the “artificial sun” and, before then, launched a satellite on a rocket, the two events were mistaken to be one. Photos were shared to suggest that China launched an artificial sun into space, but this is untrue. Read all about it here.
Chicken Organs Purportedly Planted In Cows For Egg Production In China
A Facebook user alleged that the Chinese government plants chicken organs in cows for faster egg production. But the photo alleging this was manipulated. The original shows cows whose genomes had been edited to give them traits they do not naturally possess. Read all about it here.
Sheep Faeces Speculated To Prepare Beverages In China
Facebook users have claimed that sheep faeces were in high demand in China for their richness in proteins for beverages. It is accompanied by a photo alleging that the beverages were made with sheep faeces, juice, soya milk and other liquids. This is false. Some of the photos have been manipulated, and the resemblance of sheep faeces in the photos is tapioca pearls. Also, the beverage in the photos is Bubble Tea, which has one of its ingredients as tapioca pearls. Read all about it here.
