PROGRAM IMPACT
Anatomy of a Fact-Check: False Praise for the Chinese Government
“Anatomy of a Fact-Check” is an interview series with fact-checking organizations that participate in Facebook’s third-party fact-checking program. Here, a leader from Taiwan FactCheck Center, Summer Chen, explains how the team debunked a recent false claim that spread on social media.
Part One: A False Claim Spreads
On March 15, Chinese media outlets picked up a false video claiming the city of Rome had played the Chinese national anthem on a street near a subway station to thank the Chinese government. "Some people shouted loudly, 'Grazie Cina!' [thanks to China], and residents around applauded," the caption claimed.
"The video was cited by Chinese officials," Chen said. "There were also more than 20 articles about the story, published by various content farms in simplified and traditional Chinese versions."
Part Two: An Insider’s Guide to Fact-Checking, Step by Step
- We traced each clip of the video and found the same clips in Italian local media.” The team broke up the video into parts and looked for similar videos online. Using the Twitter hashtag #applauso, they found twovideos published by local outlets showing the same people cheering from their balconies—but to thank medical staff for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic, not to sing the Chinese national anthem. More news articles and multiple social posts showed people in Rome cheering for medical workers on the same day with no mention of China.
- ‘We studied the video’s sound.’The false video played the Chinese national anthem, but the rhythm of people clapping didn't match up with the beat.
- ‘We questioned whether voices had been added or modified.’The team compared the video's audio with sound in the mainstream news videos and found, for example, that no one shouted "Grazie Cina!" at the same point in the clip.
Part Three: Impact of a Successful Fact-Check
Taiwan FactCheck Center published an article to outline its fact-checking process in meticulous detail and debunk the claim. “To see is not to believe,” Chen said. “Videos can be false and the authorities may lie. We learned how to better trace video materials and find clues on social media.”
Learn more about Facebook’s third-party fact-checking program.
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