A photo of Sylvester Stallone wearing a t-shirt with a hyperpartisan message is being shared online, but it’s not authentic. It’s a stock photo that has been digitally manipulated. Let’s take a look at the facts.
NewsLit takeaway
Digitally manipulating photos of celebrities to make it look like they endorse a provocative political message — often on t-shirts — is extremely common. Such posts are designed to resonate with people who have strong partisan views and may share the image without pausing to consider whether it’s authentic. It’s also likely that some of these fakes are marketing ploys to boost sales of t-shirts that are easily found for sale online. For example, this reply to an influential Twitter account includes the same doctored image and a link to a product page where the shirt can be purchased.
- “Fact check: Altered image shows Sylvester Stallone with T-shirt message mocking Biden, Fauci” (Nayeli Lomeli, USA Today).
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