Elon Musk’s social media platform X changed its Iranian flag emoji, from the current Islamic Republic flag - featuring a red emblem - to the historic pre-Revolution Lion and Sun symbol widely used by protesters of the regime. In Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl goes through how this came to be, the online reactions, and how useful this could realistically be on the ground.

For around two weeks – and despite an internet blackout – thousands of Iranians have been mobilising in large protests that threaten the future of the regime. But some internet users are casting doubt over the protest images, claiming they're in fact much smaller than they appear, or using camera trickery or AI manipulation. Vedika Bahl goes through the claims in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has been fiercely criticised in recent days, after it began generating sexualised images of women and girls, flooding the app with explicit content. Some of the images involve girls as young as 10 years old, sparking global backlash. Multiple countries worldwide have demanded answers on how the app will comply to X's digital standards, or have referred the matter to their communications watchdogs. Vedika Bahl goes through what we know in Truth or Fake. 

A viral social media clip with over 17 million views claims to show torture at the hands of Nicolas Maduro's regime in Venezuela, thus justifying US intervention there. The only problem is that it's actually a scene from a Netflix film, although it's true that the movie was inspired by real events in the country – and there are indeed credible reports of repression in Venezuela. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.

A video showing emotional Venezuelans celebrating the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro – and thanking US President Donald Trump – has been widely shared on social media, and even reposted by Elon Musk. The clip, however, is AI-generated. It joins several other false videos claiming to show joy and celebrations in Venezuela, either via dated or out-of-context clips. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.

After US President Donald Trump announced Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s capture in a social media post, AI-generated images claiming to show the incident flooded social media. These fake images were even used by some news sites and reposted by the official White House X account. In this edition of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl talks us through what she’s seen online, and how misleading these images may have been.

At least 37 people have been killed in Morocco after flash floods swept through the city of Safi. Officials say it's the country's deadliest flooding disaster in more than a decade. Online, viral videos have since claimed that the torrential rain severely damaged two major stadiums in the capital Rabat, just days before AFCON 2025 is set to kick off. In this edition of Truth or Fake, we trace the origin of these AI-generated videos, and confirm that Morocco is indeed ready to host the football tournament.

A viral video falsely claiming that a coup d’État has taken place in France has racked up more than 13 million views on social media. Although clearly AI-generated, it sparked tensions between the Élysée Palace and Facebook's parent company, as Meta initially refused to take it down. In this edition of Truth or Fake, we break down who created this AI-generated video, and how it even reached the French president himself. 

As France battles an outbreak of lumpy skin disease among livestock, some farmers are protesting government measures such as the culling of entire herds. Videos claiming to support them have gone viral online, but some are AI-generated. In this edition of Truth or Fake, we take a closer look at how a Russian-linked influence network, known as Storm-1516, is amplifying misleading narratives around real-life protests.

In the aftermath of the anti-Semitic Bondi Beach attack, footage emerged showing a mysterious bystander disarming one of the gunmen. Scores of users praised this courageous man, who was quickly identified by journalists. But other accounts claimed that the true hero was not Ahmed Al Ahmed, but Edward Crabtree. In this edition of Truth or Fake, we confirm that the genuine hero was indeed Ahmed Al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Syrian refugee living in Australia.