Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the "public opinion war" outside the battlefield has been in full swing, and the fake news that has been debunked is even more diverse.
Recently, the American movie star "Little Plum" Leonardo DiCaprio is also caught in it. The British newspaper "Independent" reported on March 8 that Leonardo had donated $10 million to Ukraine. However, it was not long before the "source" quoted by the media could not be seen anymore, and the rumor was debunked.
On March 8, Polish news, an English-language media outlet, quoted the International Visegrad Fund as saying that Leonardo had donated $10 million to Ukraine.
The report also analyzes with great certainty the "motives" for Leonardo's donation, namely that "his late grandmother was born in Odessa."
Leonardo's grandmother, Helena Indenbir, was born in 1915 and was one of the staunchest supporters of Little Plum's acting career. Leonardo also talked about his good relationship with his grandmother more than once in public.
However, no media could be sure where Helena was born, and Odessa and Kherson were all rumored to have been born. In his early interviews, Leonardo only mentioned that his grandmother was born in Russia.
Still, the article spread. The British media "Independent", Spain's "Marca" and other media have reported that there are even added fuel to the vinegar into "Leonardo donated to the Ukrainian military force."
Screenshot of the Marca report
Almost the same routine, the writing of the various media is to use Leonardo's relationship with his grandmother to foil this news.
Since then, affected by these reports, foreign social media has gradually begun to be forwarded, discussed relevant "stories", and directed to topics such as "aid to Ukraine".
The Independent reported that Leonardo donated money to his grandmother's hometown of Ukraine
Spain's Marca newspaper reported: Leonardo expressed support for his hometown of Ukraine
The Daily Mail reported that Leonardo donated $10 million to his grandmother's hometown of Ukraine
But the truth soon surfaced.
A check of the official website of the International Visegrad Fund reveals that the agency's last news item was published on February 28, 2022, and there was no news about Leonardo.
Click on the agency's Facebook account on the official website, only to find a rumor refutation dynamic that almost no one cares about.
"Now, fake news exists in all its forms. For example, some media reports have reported that we announced a $10 million donation from a famous American actor to Ukraine. Please, please verify your sources, keep an eye on reliable institutions and media, and don't spread fake news. ”
As of now, Leonardo has not responded to the matter, and his social media account was last updated on February 24.
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.