Photo Shows Crying Girl and Puppy After Hurricane Helene?

[Tin tức]

The storm left widespread destruction across the U.S. Southeast after making landfall in late September 2024.

By Nur Ibrahim

Claim:

A photograph authentically shows a crying girl holding a puppy on a boat in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Rating: FAKE

In early October 2024, as the U.S. Southeast worked to recover from Hurricane Helene, a viral photograph claimed to show a crying girl and her puppy on a boat being rescued from the storm's devastation. Many posts on X used it to criticize U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' handling of aid to affected regions.

Numerous posts with the image claimed more money was going to help Ukraine or toward "illegal aliens" than to the hurricane victims.

However, the above photograph is not real. Based on numerous suspicious details in the photograph, the fact that there is no authentic media source for it and that it has been described as AI-generated by a verification tool, we rate this image as a fake.

Using Google's reverse-image search tool, we found no real source for the picture. The image started to gain popularity on Oct. 3, 2024, and it spread on X and a number of blogs. One of the earliest posts with it appeared on a pro-Donald Trump site called Patriots Win.

The image itself is also highly suspicious. The skin on the girl's face and arms is extremely smooth with exaggerated lines above her eyebrows, and in some versions of the post, a section of the boat appears to be missing on the right. Additionally, the man in the orange life jacket in the background appears to have a missing limb.

A similar image of the same girl on X, taken from a different angle, shows her with a different dog in her arms and a different life jacket.



None of the posts featuring the image appeared to have any links to other sources or evidence of where they obtained such an image.

True Media's AI detector tool found "substantial evidence" of digital manipulation on the image and determined it was created by generative AI. According to the tool: "The image shows signs typical of AI-generated visuals, like unusual facial expressions and proportions, as well as smooth and perfect textures that might not occur naturally. The overall appearance and style suggest it could be generated or manipulated."

As of Oct. 3, 2024, the hurricane's death toll had surpassed 200, making it one of the deadliest storms to hit the U.S. in the 21st century. The storm devastated numerous regions and cut off towns from the surrounding areas. As we previously reported, U.S. President Joe Biden said he plans to ask Congress to pass legislation that would set aside more funds for Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

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