Fooled By a Fake Image
The tornado was real, but the photo on the news wasn't
Every Tuesday: a new story plus the week’s odds and ends
Musings & Tales: Fake Photo. Real Disaster.
I fell for a fake photo.
Not just any fake — a tornado photo, shared during an actual tornado warning here in Western North Carolina, the kind of storm alert that sends you to the basement and has you checking on neighbors.
There it was on a local TV station’s social media feed. And shared by the National Weather Service. A funnel cloud near a gas station. It looked exactly like the hurried, badly-framed shot someone takes when they’re scared and just trying to document what’s happening.
Except it wasn’t real. It was AI-generated, originally posted as a private joke that got away from its creator.
What got me thinking wasn’t just that I fell for it — it’s that I don’t fall for things. I’m the guy who fact-checks headlines at dinner parties. Ask my family; it’s not always a charming trait.
A single event isn’t that big a deal, but I looked around and saw other stories that week fooling people the same way. It made me truly wonder how we can trust anything we see.
Note: The photo on this post is NOT the fake image. I don’t have permission to share it. This is a licensed stock photo.
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Survey Results:
Each month, I ask my readers a question. In celebration of our recent move into a new house, I wondered if our 11 relocations in our adult lives was unusual. Compared to the person who reported 40 moves, I’m an amateur.
When readers take the survey, they have an opportunity to share their thoughts. The comments are my favorite part and you might enjoy them too. If so, you can find them here.
From the Facebook Files
A little something extra from last week’s socials
Living with canines never ceases to amuse me. This week’s featured photo is Exhibit A.
We had ordered a new dining room set, but only the chairs had been delivered. A vacant space waited for the table.
Imagine my surprise when I glanced into the room and discovered Landon had taken up residence. I welcome any guesses you have to what was going through his mind.
Thanks for your time
Thank you, as always, for reading my scribblings. Or listening, if that was your path.
Until next week,
Happy reading