Claim: Broadcast journalist and host Paolo Bediones, in an interview with Jessica Soho, promotes the use of a “warts remover dropper” that cures skin disease like psoriasis and warts.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post containing the claims has 2,800 reactions, 1,000 comments, and 188 shares, as of writing.
In the video, Bediones tells how the said dropper supposedly helped in the cure of his psoriasis and removal of his warts. A female voice with a similar reporting style to broadcast journalist Jessica Soho can be heard narrating Bediones’ experiences too.
The facts: The video is manipulated. TrueMedia.org, a web-based deepfake detector, revealed that the video has “substantial evidence of manipulation,” specifically in voices.
TrueMedia.org’s voice analysis showed that it detected AI-generated audio with a 100% confidence level. The audio was found to be created by an AI generator or through cloning, based on the audio authenticity detector.
The detector also found face manipulation — “as in the case of face swaps and face reenactment” — with an 82% confidence level.
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Manipulated video: The manipulated video was from a clip of the December 12, 2023 Instagram post of Bediones, where he expounded on the benefits of a herbal drink. Nowhere in the said video did he mention the purported warts removal dropper.
Fact-checked: This is not the first time Rappler has debunked misleading advertisements that use AI-manipulated media of journalists and other known personalities. Similar videos fact-checked by Rappler include the following:
- FACT CHECK: ‘News report’ of Mel Tiangco for hypertension cure is AI-edited
- FACT CHECK: Ad for hypertension cure uses AI-edited Jessica Soho news report
- FACT CHECK: AI-edited clips of Karen Davila used in hypertension ‘cure’ ad
– Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.