A fake post about 100,000 Americans holding a rally in support of President Rodrigo Duterte as leader of the United States is making the rounds online.
Netizens on Facebook (FB) are currently sharing a link to the fabricated article by website thephnews.blogspot.com, which bears the headline, “‘DUTERTE, PLEASE SAVE AMERICA’ 100,000 americans gathered to force-elect President Rodrigo Duterte in US.”
There was no such event.
When clicked, the link leads to a Blogger.com page saying “Permission denied” and that it is “open to invited readers only.” The story’s web address (thephnews.blogspot.com/2016/08…) suggests that the fake article is at least three years old, published in August 2016.
The fake report’s thumbnail, as seen on Facebook, is manipulated. It features a photo of a right-wing rally in Washington, D.C. in September 2009 uploaded by conservative blog Looking at the Left, of Americans protesting the policies of then-U.S. President Barack Obama. The protest sign of a woman in the foreground was photoshopped to read, “DUTERTE FOR US PRESIDENT! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.” instead of “SILENCE IS CONSENT. CAN YOU HEAR US NOW?”
Thephnews.blogspot.com’s hoax circulated on social media a few days before the start of the Senate hearing on the impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump.
FB detected activity on the link largely coming from the page Duterte for Real Change, which shared the manipulated post in September 2016. A look at the post’s shares, now at over 3,300, shows that Filipinos re-shared it this month.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
