MEBRO · DISINFO DESK
Investigations
Long-form dossiers on the hoaxes, deepfakes, and death rumors that go viral — each one stamped with a verdict and printed with every source on the record.
Viral Misinformation
Russia Faked Julia Roberts, Robert De Niro and Jeri Ryan Attacking Democrats — None of Them Said a Word
A Kremlin-linked network spliced AI-cloned audio onto real celebrity footage and slapped on fake CNN graphics to flood social media with a #AllDemocratsAreCriminals hashtag ahead of the 2026 midterms.
FILED OCT 24, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 24, 2026 · 5 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
No, Palestinian Flags Never Flew Atop the Eiffel Tower During France's Riots
Viral images and a video claiming pro-Palestinian protesters took over the Eiffel Tower amid France's October unrest are AI-generated fakes — stitched onto a week that saw real riots, a burned-out town hall, and thousands of arrests.
FILED OCT 22, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 22, 2026 · 4 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
The 'Proof' of 2026 Election Fraud in Arizona Is a Four-Year-Old Video With a New Number Stapled On
A livestream clip of Maricopa County workers installing memory cards in 2022 is circulating again as 2026 midterm tampering evidence — the third viral cycle for the exact same footage, this time with an invented 59% failure statistic.
FILED OCT 20, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 20, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
The Trump Rally Assault Was Real. The Viral Photo of It Is AI-Generated.
A woman wearing a "Release the Epstein Files" shirt really was punched and dragged by the hair at a Youngstown rally. The viral image people are sharing to prove it isn't a photo of that at all.
FILED OCT 17, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 17, 2026 · 5 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
Trump Posted a Real Man's Death, Then a Lion-Attack Montage Where Three of Five Clips Are AI-Generated
Hours after a tiger killed a man at a UK wildlife park, the president's Truth Social account shared the real footage — then a separate 24-second compilation of big-cat attacks, most of them fake, with no disclosure either way.
FILED OCT 15, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 15, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
No, Denzel Washington Didn't Call Trump His 'Great Friend' — Trump Posted the Fake Quote Anyway
A gushing endorsement attributed to Denzel Washington has circulated online before with other actors' names on it. Trump posted it as if it were real, and Washington's own spokesperson says it isn't.
FILED OCT 15, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 15, 2026 · 4 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
UK 'Christmas Decoration Tax': A Viral Hoax With No Basis in Law
A December 2025 wave of AI-generated videos claimed the UK government was introducing a £500 'Christmas Decoration Tax' on every household. Full Fact traced the deepfake Keir Starmer clip and found no such policy exists.
FILED OCT 13, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 13, 2026 · 5 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
No, Elon Musk Didn't Post 'I Have a Plan' to Stop Democrats From Winning the Midterms
A screenshot racking up hundreds of thousands of views claims Musk threatened to rig the midterms. No such post exists on his accounts — his actual, legal midterm spending plan is a different story entirely.
FILED OCT 13, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 13, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
The 'Muslim Bomb Threat' Flight Video Is Real Footage From Seven Months Ago
A viral X post claims a Southwest flight was diverted this month over a Muslim passenger's bomb threat with 'zero media coverage.' The video is from March, the FBI found no credible threat, and no charges were ever filed.
FILED OCT 11, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 11, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
No, ICE Isn't Running a 'Night Sweep' Across Five States — a Fabricated Protocol Panicked Latino Communities
A Spanish-language TikTok claimed ICE would quietly raid Texas, California, Florida, Arizona and Georgia overnight on September 28. The date came and went with no operation, no announcement, and no record that a 'night sweep protocol' exists.
FILED OCT 9, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 9, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
Target 'Satanic' Coordinated Campaign: How Viral Claims Misrepresented Products
Viral claims that Target sold 'satanic' Pride merchandise conflated a designer's unrelated personal catalog with AI-generated fake product photos — and the 'stock price proves the boycott worked' narrative doesn't survive a look at Target's own earnings report.
FILED OCT 6, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 6, 2026 · 4 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
AI-Generated Armed Police Image Sparks False Panic Claims at Sydney Shopping Centre
An AI-generated image of armed tactical police falsely suggested an active crisis at Sydney's Westfield Hurstville after a routine alarm test on March 13, 2026. NSW Police confirmed no evacuation and no threat occurred, and publicly urged the public not to share the fake image.
FILED OCT 5, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 5, 2026 · 25 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
The Marseille Flamethrower Attack Is Real. The 'Anti-White Riot' Story Built Around It Isn't Confirmed.
A woman was genuinely burned in the face during France's student riots — but viral posts claiming her attacker was an 'illegal migrant' targeting her for being white go further than police have.
FILED OCT 4, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 4, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
Somali Daycare Fraud Campaign: Viral Video, State Inspectors, and 140M Views of Disinformation
23-year-old MAGA YouTuber Nick Shirley claimed Somali daycares were defrauding government of $100M+. State inspectors found facilities 'operating as expected.' Video generated 140M+ views, bomb threats, and Tim Walz's withdrawal from reelection.
FILED OCT 3, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 3, 2026 · 15 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
That 'Deadly Snake' Terrorizing a Santa Ana Street Was an AI Photo — and Now a Misdemeanor Charge
A Santa Ana man's report of a venomous Gaboon viper loose in his backyard set off a three-day police search involving reptile experts. The photo was AI-generated, he's admitted making it up, and he's now facing criminal charges.
FILED OCT 3, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 3, 2026 · 4 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
That 'FlyDubai Plane Plummeting' Video Is a Brazilian Jet Landing, Filmed 12 Days Early
After a co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain on FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 and nearly crashed it, a viral clip claiming to show the moment was actually an Azul Brazilian Airlines plane landing normally — uploaded to YouTube before the real incident even happened.
FILED OCT 2, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 2, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
SA Mozambican Woman Arrest Photo: Old Image Recycled for Anti-Immigrant Narrative
A photo of a woman being removed by police went viral in late October 2025 captioned as a Mozambican woman's arrest in Johannesburg. It is a six-year-old photo from a different protest in a different city.
FILED OCT 1, 2026 · UPDATED OCT 1, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
Ruby Bradley 'Loser' Quote: Fabricated Words Put in WWII Hero's Mouth
Ruby Bradley was one of the most decorated women in U.S. military history, serving as an Army nurse in WWII and Korea.
FILED SEP 30, 2026 · UPDATED SEP 30, 2026 · 4 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
No, Jackie Chan Didn't Die at 72 — The Viral 'Obituary' Photo Is a Hoax
A black-and-white '1954-2026' memorial image raced across X this weekend, racking up millions of views in hours. Chan is alive, working, and was seen in public just weeks before the posts began.
FILED SEP 29, 2026 · UPDATED SEP 29, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
No, Bezos Wasn't at Trump and Xi's Head Table. That Photo Is AI.
A 'Made with Grok Imagine' image of a sprawling white-tableclothed banquet swept X after the real Trump-Xi state dinner — but the real head table sat 10 people under a red tablecloth, and Bezos wasn't one of them.
FILED SEP 27, 2026 · UPDATED SEP 27, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
The 'Minnesota Overflow Crowd' Video Is Real — It's Just Two Years Old
A clip of a massive outdoor crowd watching Trump on a jumbotron went viral again this month as proof of a huge September 2026 Minnesota rally. It's actually from St. Cloud in July 2024.
FILED SEP 26, 2026 · UPDATED SEP 26, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
The New York Times Never Reported DiCaprio, Milano and Others Back 'All Democrats Are Criminals'
Seven fabricated New York Times-branded videos spliced real celebrity Cameo clips with invented captions to make actors appear to endorse a Republican midterm slogan — and the operation traces back to a Kremlin-linked influence campaign.
FILED SEP 25, 2026 · UPDATED SEP 25, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
The Paid Protesters Craigslist Hoax: When a Prank Became Proof
A satirical Craigslist ad posted by podcasters was weaponized as proof that anti-ICE protesters in Los Angeles were being paid $12,500/week, despite being completely unrelated to the demonstrations. Forensic analysis of how satire becomes disinformation.
FILED SEP 24, 2026 · UPDATED SEP 24, 2026 · 11 SOURCES
Viral Misinformation
No, Duterte Isn't Back in the Philippines. The 'Airport Photo' Is AI — He's Still in The Hague.
AI-generated airport photos showing Rodrigo Duterte reunited with his family in Manila drew hundreds of thousands of views this week. The ICC ordered him held through trial just days earlier.
FILED SEP 24, 2026 · UPDATED SEP 24, 2026 · 3 SOURCES
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Investigative reports — not user-submitted fact-checks.