In a first for the European Union, an American fugitive living in Russia was among 12 individuals sanctioned for activities described as “information manipulation and interference.”
Who is John Mark Dougan, sanctioned by EU for role in Russian disinformation? Read More »
Whopping cough cases in the United States reached levels in 2025 far higher than before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. But social media posts recommending hydrogen peroxide as a remedy are misguided; the illness can be prevented with vaccination and fought with antibiotics, experts said, while the liquid composed of hydrogen and oxygen is an unproven and potentially dangerous treatment.
Hydrogen peroxide is not a treatment for whooping cough Read More »
Galdes finalised the purchase in 2025 but insisted he had ‘reserved’ it back in 2021
Fact-check Malta: Was Galdes’ €140,000 penthouse and garage a fair price in 2021? Read More »
November 25, 2025 When outraged Filipinos turned to an AI-powered chatbot to verify a viral photograph of a lawmaker embroiled in a corruption scandal, the tool failed to detect it was fabricated — even though it had generated the image itself. Internet users are increasingly turning to chatbots to verify images in real time, but
AI’s blind spot: tools fail to detect their own fakes Read More »
November 12, 2025 In a parallel reality, Donald Trump reigns as king, fighter pilot, and Superman, and his political opponents are cast as criminals and laughingstocks — an unprecedented weaponization of AI imagery by a sitting American president. Trump has ramped up his use of artificial intelligence-generated content on his Truth Social channel since starting
‘AI president’: Trump deepfakes glorify himself, trash rivals Read More »
November 7, 2025 A series of social media posts posted by opposition party PN in the immediate aftermath of the annual budget held on Monday October 27 sparked a debate over pay raises for Malta’s Cabinet ministers. The posts compared the weekly COLA increase (cost-of-living adjustment, a sum handed out to compensate for inflation) given
Fact-check Malta: Is Malta’s Cabinet receiving a salary raise? Read More »
Scammers use familiar methods but are becoming increasingly sophisticated
Fact-check Malta: Deepfake scam articles impersonate ministers after Budget Day Read More »
November 4, 2025 A series of AI generated videos posted in recent days showing unusual sightings in Malta’s streets have duped many people into believing they are real. The videos range from plausible events, such as photorealistic depictions of near-traffic accidents, to seemingly implausible, such as the sight of exotic animals freely roaming Malta’s streets.
Fact-check Malta: AI-generated videos of unusual incidents on Malta’s streets Read More »
October 21, 2025 “Thank you, Adele, it’s such a beautiful song,” reads a glowing comment beneath an emotional YouTube tribute to slain US activist Charlie Kirk. But the music is AI-generated — and bears little resemblance to the British icon’s voice. Rapidly evolving artificial intelligence tools can now create songs from simple text prompts, mimicking
YouTube users trip over fake AI tributes to Charlie Kirk Read More »
October 21, 2025 Claim: The family of a tragic car crash are requesting donations through a Facebook page. Verdict: The Facebook page was set up by scammers, hoping to defraud people of their funds. Online scammers are soliciting donations in the name of Sandra and Kevin Bonnici, one of the two couples who died tragically in
Fact-check Malta: Scammers use fatal car crash to solicit fake donations Read More »
The Mediterranean Digital Media Observatory (MedDMO) is an alliance of fact-checkers, media literacy experts and scientists taking a coordinated approach to combating disinformation and misinformation.
This project has received funding from the European Union DIGITAL-2024-BESTUSE-TECH-07 Contract no: 101226175. This website reflects the views only of the independent Consortium, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein.