Aborted, mummified and put in a gals: this image is currently spreading on social media.
Numerous users posted the photo, claiming that the man and woman are a couple carrying their dead offspring in a jar as a pro-abortion protest.
But what is the real deal with the photo? Is the recording real or a fake?
The claims on social media are fake.
Photo shows video game developer Hideo Kojima and actress Ashley Johnson with a prop.
Because the child in the container is a replica of a fetus from Kojima’s game “Death Stranding”.
The game’s launch trailer shows the template – a fetus in an artificial womb that helps the main character, played by Norman Reedus, sense the presence of monsters.
The fetus is sold as part of a Collector’s Edition game or individually.
The picture was taken in July 2019 as part of the Comic Con fair in the US metropolis of San Diego.
Kojima himself posted a photo of himself and Ashley Johnson with the dummy fetus.
The image of the two artists is taken out of context to create buzz on social media.
A picture with a harmless video game replica is blown up into an alleged scandal photo.
How do we check videos for manipulation in the editorial office? It is important to look at the details. The individual frames of a video often reveal whether a video has been edited. We take a close look at each image and enlarge individual sections. Indications of a fake are, for example: lack of motion blur, unnatural shadows or editing errors. The general rule at stern is: Seriousness before speed. We always double-check facts and material thoroughly before publishing them. For this we work with the cross-editorial “Team Verification” together with RTL, NTV, RTL2, Radio NRW.