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Samantha Putterman
By Samantha Putterman March 17, 2021

No, an image of a White House Rose Garden event wasn’t taken at a film studio in Georgia

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  • This is bogus. The photo was not taken at Tyler Perry’s film studio in Georgia.

  • The image shows the signing ceremony of the American Rescue Plan, the government’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. It was held outside the Oval Office at the White House Rose Garden in Washington, D.C., on March 12.

 

Since President Joe Biden took office, we have debunked social media posts that have tried to claim that he isn’t the "real" president or in the "real" White House. Some posts have gone so far as to claim that the Oval Office that Biden’s been pictured in is really a movie set.

Add this one to the mix: A Facebook post that claims images captured at the White House Rose Garden outside the Oval Office were actually made at film director Tyler Perry’s production company in Atlanta, Ga.

"This psyop was filmed in Atlanta at Tyler Perry Studios," the March 16 post claims in text above  an image of a recent White House event. "The stadium in the background was the former Turner stadium that was used by the Atlanta Braves and now is used by Georgia State University… isn’t this fun? I would love to know who leaked this photo … you can’t get in there."

This is bogus. The photo shows a ceremony held outside the Oval Office at the White House Rose Garden in Washington.

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

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The White House confirmed that the photo was taken on March 12, during the signing ceremony of the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. 

As can be seen in the photograph displayed in the post, Associated Press images of the event show House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the same pink dress, Biden in a blue suit, and Vice President Kamala Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer both wearing black.

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"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks about the American Rescue Plan, a coronavirus relief package, in the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday, March 12, 2021, in Washington," one caption says.

The building that can be partially seen in the background is not Center Parc Credit Union Stadium, where Georgia State University's football team plays. It’s the Eisenhower executive office building, which is located next to the White House. A search of Getty Images archives shows many views of the Eisenhower building as seen from the White House.

The Tyler Perry Studios complex, meanwhile, is also not next to the Atlanta stadium. It’s located about five miles away.

This post is full-on Pants on Fire!

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No, an image of a White House Rose Garden event wasn’t taken at a film studio in Georgia

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