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manipulated content altered audio Joe Biden

Audio altered to include ‘Let’s go, Brandon’ chant in Biden video

A video appears to show a crowd chanting “Let’s go, Brandon” during President Joe Biden’s visit to London for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. But that isn’t what happened. Let’s look at the facts.

A tweet reads “As Joe rides through the streets of London, crowds chant “LET’S GO BRANDON” and shows a video of President Joe Biden in a car. The News Literacy Project has added a label that says, “ALTERED AUDIO.”
The crowd in this video was not chanting “Let’s go, Brandon” at Biden during his September 2022 trip to London.
The audio in this video was altered to add the chant.

NewsLit takeaway

Doctored photos often include indications they have been altered. Manipulated audio, however, can be more difficult to detect. This video seems to capture a London crowd’s reaction to Biden’s presidential motorcade. How can you determine if it’s real?

First, check the source. Which accounts shared this video? Were they credible? We found that the video was shared by meme and partisan accounts that often amplify falsehoods aligning to their interests.

Then, find the original footage and compare it to the viral version. The video was initially captured by a British reporter for the Telegraph and ran in UK news outlets such as The Evening Standard, according to Reuters. It shows Biden in his motorcade as a few people in the crowd cheer, but none are chanting “Let’s go, Brandon,” as in the doctored video. By comparing the footage, you can see the audio in the viral clip was clearly altered.

Altering audio is one tactic purveyors of misinformation use to mislead their audience. While this content may seem genuine at first glance, social media users can determine its authenticity by searching for the original source.

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