Latest news with #ReutersFactCheck
Reuters
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Fact Check: Video of woman saying she was paid to attend anti-Trump rally is satire
A video of a woman saying she was paid to attend the "Hands Off" protest against U.S. President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk is satire. Protesters gathered in cities across the U.S. and Europe on April 5 to rally against the Trump administration's overhaul of the U.S. government and also against its tariffs policy. The video, opens new tab of a woman sharing her experience of getting paid for attending a protest was posted on social media with the caption, "'Hands Off' Anti-Trump / Elon Musk Protests paid people to attend." A comment under a post sharing the video said: "I don't care how much they pay. Making an idiot out of yourself and lowering your standards is not worth it. Shame on all that did this." However, the video was initially posted on the TikTok account @redsaidblue, whose bio says, "SATIRE account. Don't believe what you see on the internet.' In the video, the woman says she was asked to meet at a specified time and place and find a "girl with blue hair and a nose ring". The woman adds she was told she "couldn't wear anything MAGA" and asked not to wear red. She adds that she had to answer a questionnaire correctly to get paid. One question the woman mentioned is, "Why do Republicans want more women to stay home and not work and not have jobs?" The TikTok creator later said in a separate video, captioned "SATIRE—regrettable", that she had thought the video she posted was "obviously satire" and apologized., opens new tab"I'm sorry. It was satire, it was a joke, it was not real," she said, adding that she had removed the video from her account. The TikTok account @redsaidblue did not respond to a request for comment. VERDICT Satire. The video of a woman saying she was paid to attend an anti-Trump protest is satirical. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
Reuters
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Fact Check: No evidence Sadiq Khan pledged to build 40,000 new homes solely for Muslims
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan pledged to build 40,000 new council homes after saying housing was a major issue for Muslims in London, not that he would build 40,000 new council homes solely for Muslims, contrary to online claims. 'I'm fu*king fuming - I've just found out London Mayor Sadiq Kahn, under the Muslim housing plan, is building 40,000 new homes for Muslims only to be near mosques and halal food shops,' said one widely shared video post on Facebook, opens new tab. 'Imagine if the British government announced free homes for white British Christians only?' continued the March 19 post. One post on X, opens new tab, which shared the same video, suggested the source of the claim was an interview Khan gave to Islam Channel,, opens new tab a British-based, Islamic-focused TV broadcaster, ahead of the May 2024 mayoral elections in Britain's capital. Khan said in the April 26, 2024, interview, opens new tab: 'The other big issue facing Londoners, particularly Londoners of Islamic faith, is the issue of housing. We need to build far more homes in our city because often people from minority communities want to live near a mosque, near halal food, near where there are other people like them for a number of obvious reasons. And they are priced out, because there is not enough housing. So, we're going to build at least 40,000 council homes, at least 6,000 rent-controlled homes.' However, while Khan spoke about building new 40,000 new council properties after saying housing was a particular issue for Londoners of Islamic faith, he did not say the homes would be exclusively for Muslims. He also said at the start of the interview: 'My manifesto is to help to improve the lives of all Londoners. Over the last eight years, I've sought to be a mayor for all Londoners, whether you're Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, member of an organised faith or not.' Khan's manifesto, opens new tab for the mayoral elections - which saw him re-elected for a third term - mentions the 40,000 pledge three times, but does not say the homes would be exclusively for Muslims. A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said the claim was false and that the 40,000 homes were being built for Londoners in need of housing, regardless of faith. A spokesperson for Islam Channel said in an email to Reuters: 'Any attempt to use our interview to claim that Sir Sadiq Khan is going to build 40,000 new homes 'just for Muslims' is a complete misrepresentation of the truth.' Credible media, opens new tab articles, opens new tab in 2024, opens new tab reported on Khan's plans to build 40,000 council homes. None mentioned they were only for Muslims. VERDICT Misleading. There is no evidence Sadiq Khan is building 40,000 new homes only for Muslims. His spokesperson said the homes were being built for people of all faiths. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
Reuters
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Fact Check: No evidence Trump reacted to Selena Gomez video on Truth Social
President Donald Trump's 'border czar' Tom Homan has responded to an Instagram video of actress Selena Gomez crying over the nationwide raids targeting illegal migrants, but there is no evidence that Trump also posted about the clip via Truth Social as suggested by a fake screenshot shared online. Following Trump's inauguration, opens new tab on Jan. 20, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has cracked down on migrants, opens new tab without legal status. During his inauguration speech, Trump called illegal immigration an 'invasion' and declared a national emergency at the southern border. On Jan. 28, Gomez posted an emotional, now-deleted video, opens new tab to her Instagram account, opens new tab about the deportations with the caption: 'I'm sorry' and the Mexican flag. 'All my people are getting attacked,' the singer, who has Mexican heritage, said in the video. 'I'm so sorry. I wish I could do something, but I can't. I don't know what to do. I'll try everything, I promise.' A screenshot of a Truth Social post with Trump's official account handle (@realDonaldTrump) read: 'Selena, these are people who broke the law by coming here! Some have also committed other horrible crimes.' It added: 'I hope Selena is just as upset about the victims of these crimes. Focus on your career - the people want a sequel to Spring Breakers!' The Truth Social post has been shared on social media, opens new tab with the caption: 'Trump responds to Selena Gomez's meltdown.' There is no such Truth Social post on the president's account, opens new tab or a post with that language on his account on X, opens new tab, and there has been no credible reporting about such a post having appeared. The White House press office and Gomez's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. VERDICT No evidence. There is no proof that Trump posted on Truth Social about Gomez's video over illegal immigrant deportations. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
