Coca-Cola did not test positive for Covid-19 – AFP Fact Check articles of the week

1. Coca-Cola ‘tests positive for Covid-19’

A video of an Australian politician purporting to show that a glass of Coca-Cola tested positive for Covid-19 in a rapid antigen test was viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The posts suggested the video is evidence that the tests are unreliable at detecting Covid-19. The claim is misleading; experts told AFP the test carried out by the politician in the clip was not performed correctly.

2. Nashville bomber

Social media posts shared a photo of a man with a “Trump 2020” hat claiming he is the “Tennessee Christmas bomber.” This is false; the photo does not match the one released by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of Anthony Quinn Warner, identified by authorities as the person allegedly responsible for the explosion in Nashville.

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3. Biden’s assistant hoax

A photo was shared hundreds of times across Twitter, Facebook, Weibo, and Instagram alongside a claim it shows US President-elect Joe Biden’s executive assistant being arrested for spying on Donald Trump in December 2020. The claim is false; the photo, taken in December 2015 by US news agency Associated Press (AP), shows FBI personnel escorting a former US county police chief to a vehicle.

4. Indian billionaire party

Footage of celebrities and politicians attending an event at the home of an Indian billionaire was viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple Facebook and Twitter posts in December 2020 alongside a claim that the gathering breached social distancing regulations during the coronavirus pandemic. The claim is false; the video and similar footage has circulated since September 2019 in reports about celebrities attending a Hindu festival celebration.

5. South Korean president’s son

A photo of South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s son was shared repeatedly in multiple posts on Facebook in December 2020 alongside a claim that it shows him violating social distancing measures by attending an art exhibition without wearing a mask. The photo was shared in a misleading context: the image was taken in October 2020 at a press event for an art gallery where wearing masks was not mandatory, according to the South Korean health ministry’s guidelines at that time.

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