An image shows a child affected by recent hurricanes in the United States.
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Recent hurricanes devastated U.S. communities, but this isn’t an authentic photo of a rescued child
A distressed-looking child, hair wet and wearing a life jacket, holds a sodden puppy aboard a boat in what appears to be a flooded street. This image that has tugged on some social media users’ heartstrings after the recent U.S. hurricanes.
"Heartbreaking," text over the image says. "Please keep North Carolina and Tennessee in your prayers. Don’t act like you didn’t see this."
A Threads post sharing the image was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
(Screengrab from Threads)
A reverse-image search turns up not news coverage or other credible sources sharing the image or story of this child, but evidence to undermine its power: the photo is bogus.
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The image started spreading on social media following Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of the Southeast in late September.
It was one of several images of the child and puppy that drew clicks, but even a cursory review of the pictures reveals discrepancies.
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In the Threads post’s image, the child is wearing a shirt that appears blue or purple. The dog is golden-colored with dark markings around its ears and snout. The boat’s inside is green.
In the other image, the child wears a shirt that appears black. The child’s dog is golden-colored and lacks the dark markings around its ears and snout. The child also has a malformed hand, which is a red flag signaling fabricated images.
A third image showed the child in yet another boat, in a sleeveless shirt. The child holds a dog with still different markings.
We rate claims this is an authentic photo of a child during recent U.S. hurricanes False.
Our Sources
Threads post, Oct. 4, 2024
The Dispatch, Viral Images of Girl and Puppy in Hurricane Recovery Are AI-Generated, Oct. 4, 2024
KPRC-TV, Houstonians learn the cons of a viral AI-generated photo after Hurricane Helene, Oct. 9, 2024
New York Post, AI ‘deepfakes’ of Hurricane Helene victims circulate on social media, ‘hurt real people,’ Oct. 5, 2024
National Weather Service, Tropical Storm Helene: September 26-27, 2024, visited Oct. 10, 2024
The Washington Post, Photographers recall the Hurricane Helene scenes they’ll never forget, Oct. 8, 2024
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Recent hurricanes devastated U.S. communities, but this isn’t an authentic photo of a rescued child
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