It is a montage of the image published in a public Facebook group in which the license plate of the hearse with the body of Queen Elizabeth II has the letters and numbers “JB 0022”, referring to the initial letters of the name and surname and the electoral number of the President and candidate for reelection Jair Bolsonaro (PL). As verified by Projeto Comprova, the same content, which circulates as satire, was published on Twitter profiles and shared on WhatsApp as if it were true.
With the help of InVID and TinEye tools, the report carried out a reverse search of the image used in the publication on Facebook. The results showed that the original photo had already been used on news sites such as the Liverpool Echo. The original image is also available on the website of the Getty Images agency, responsible for marketing the content. According to the description provided by the agency, the record was made by photographer Jeff J Mitchell on September 11, 2022, in Ballater, UK.
False, for Comprova, is content invented or edited to change its original meaning and deliberately disclosed to spread a falsehood.
Scope of publication
As of September 13, the post in a public Facebook group had 4,200 interactions, 483 comments and 2,400 shares.
what does the author say
The report contacted the author of the publication through Facebook. As of the closing of this text, however, he had not returned.
How do we check
First, with the help of the InVID extension, we did a reverse search of the image used in the Facebook post on various websites and internet search engines. Among the results, the photograph that appears in the piece of misinformation was found in the reverse search of the TinEye tool. The results showed that the original photo of the hearse, with the license plate “WP 4597”, was used in several reports on news sites, including Liverpool Echo and CNN Brasil. Credit for the original photo, according to these sites, goes to Jeff J Mitchell of the Getty Images agency.
original image
When searching for the photographer’s name on the agency’s website, the result proved that the photo that appears on the news sites is the original, taken by Jeff J Mitchell on September 11, while the hearse with the body of Elizabeth II passed by Ballater, a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK. The community is close to Balmoral Castle, where the queen died.
Other contents published during the 11th of September show images from the most varied angles of the hearse with the queen’s body, on international sites such as Daily Record, CTV and the BBC, and in Brazil, such as Sheet and GZH. In all, it is possible to notice that the vehicle and the license plate are the same as the record made by the photographer of Getty Images.
Why do we investigate?
Comprova investigates suspicious content that goes viral on the internet related to this year’s presidential elections, the covid-19 pandemic and public policies of the federal government. Content out of context or with manipulated parts about one character or another in the electoral race can influence the voter’s conception of a particular candidate, hindering the free exercise of the vote and the Brazilian democratic system as a whole.
Comprova also checks satirical content or content that may have been created with the intention of making humor when it identifies readers who demonstrate that they believe in the veracity of the content.
Comprova also showed that a video that gathers wrong information to criticize BNDES financing abroad during PT governments is misleading, that candidate Simone Tebet promised to reduce taxes on the poorest, contrary to what a video suggests, and that a video was manipulated to insert offense to Lula in the speech of a supporter in Pernambuco.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
