On August 5-6, Georgian (1;2;3;4;5😉 and Russian-speaking (1;2;3;4;5) Facebook users disseminated the information that the artistic director of the Paris Olympics, Thomas Jolly, was hospitalized after being struck by lightning. Users shared a screenshot of an Associated Press News article with the same information.
Facebook users are spreading disinformation, claiming that Thomas Jolly was hospitalized after being struck by lightning. The screenshot of the AP News article is fabricated; the publication has not released such a headline. Information about his hospitalization is not confirmed by local media.
Facebook users share a screenshot of an Associated Press News article with a headline stating that Jolly was hospitalized after being struck by lightning. However, in reality, no such article with this headline or content can be found on AP News’ official website. The screenshot shows the article published under the “World News” category – on August 3, AP News did publish an article in this category with Jolly’s photo, but it has a different headline and content.
According to the actual title of the article, whose fabricated screenshot was disseminated on social media, the police are investigating hate speech against the Olympics opening ceremony artistic director. The article states that Jolly himself reported to the police about death threats, public insults, and defamation. There is no mention of the artist being struck by lightning in the article.
The claim that Jolly was hospitalized after being struck by lightning is not confirmed by local media either – French-language publications have not reported such information (1;2). Thus, the claims that the artistic director of the opening ceremony was struck by lightning are disinformation based on a fabricated screenshot of an AP News article.
Criticism was directed at Thomas Jolly and other organizers of the opening ceremony on social media due to a scene that some claimed was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. However, the organizers repeatedly denied these claims and explained that the blue-painted man represented Dionysus, the god of wine, and the scene was inspired by Greek mythology and included elements of French gastronomy.
“Myth Detector” wrote about the misleading information about the alleged parody of “The Last Supper” at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics last week as well. For more on false information and manipulative content spread since the start of the 2024 Olympics, see the articles:
- WHAT DO THE STEEL HORSE AND BULL’S HEAD AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS SYMBOLIZE?
- FABRICATED QUOTE ATTRIBUTED TO MEL GIBSON ABOUT THE PARIS OLYMPICS
- DID SAMSUNG SUSPEND SPONSORSHIP TO PARIS OLYMPICS DUE TO AN INSULT TO CHRISTIAN FEELINGS?
- DID A TRANSGENDER BOXER CONFRONT AN ITALIAN ATHLETE AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS, AND WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT IMANE KHELIF?
- VIDEOMANIPULATION, AS IF THE PARIS OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY WAS PROTESTED EN MASSE
About the Sources
An anonymous Facebook user supporting pro-Kremlin Alt-Info, “Georgian Conservative,” publishes anti-Western content. Many of his posts have been labeled as false information by fact-checking organizations, including “Myth Detector.”
Russian-speaking Facebook user Ludmila Gudzovischi frequently publishes false information. Her posts have been flagged by fact-checking organizations a number of times.
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