Fake News (blog post 7)
I was not entirely comfortable posting/creating a fake news story for my private social media account, so I went for the alternative route. I will be honest also, I struggled to decide on what story to investigate further, as there really are so many out there. Also, with the speed at which media spreads and gets reposted, etc., it was somewhat tricky to track down the exact root account. I chose to base this blog post on a TikTok video that came across my page last night. As I just mentioned, it is hard to find the original post or story because so many users repost, share, or react in a way that the first video can sometimes be buried and surpassed in things like views, likes, or comments. With, this video is one of literally thousands circling the same idea and theory, but I chose to pursue an interest in this specific video as it came to me naturally.
Unless you have been living under a rock, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, is not okay. She was last seen in public on Christmas day, in 2023. After a brief time away from the media (odd as this is a requirement for her position) the Palace announced on January 17th that she would be undergoing an adnominal surgery and that it would be “unlikely” for her to resume her public duties until Easter. Again, weird, considering she was seen days after giving birth to her children. I’m sure you can predict the endless rumors and theories that began circling this news release as social media platforms, publishers, and news stations across the world all started to catch wind. It was a downhill spiral from there. Specific theories that came across my media platforms included Kate and William, the Prince of Wales, being in turmoil (he was thought to be having an affair), and that this was her way of holding out, or that the surgery did not go well, and she had passed away, or that her condition had a connection to King Charles III’s recent illness, and so on.
Now if you have no prior background knowledge of this whole situation, I probably sound crazy, but there is meat to back up these stories. The Royal Palace and Family were not as silent, as I think they should have been, and they were releasing images that were so clearly photoshopped, AI-generated, and very poorly edited at that. Fueling the fire of many conspiracists. However, last Friday, a statement was finally released, and everyone was able to see Kate… we think.
She announced to the public that she, very unfortunately, has cancer. I do feel somewhat cruel breaking down and questioning the legitimacy of this video, as this situation is extremely serious. But I do not fully believe that this video, even still, was not produced through artificial intelligence.
The specific video that I am speaking of is posted from an account on TikTok titled @conspiracybarb. The account has 24.6k followers, and posts opinion pieces on current circling conspiracy situations. This exact video, as I write this (March 25th) has about 24k likes, 2,600 comments, almost 10,000 shares, and nearly 4,000 saves or “favorites.” I will admit that this video is not wholly original but, like I said, it is the most recent one that came onto my FYP. It points out aspects of the video clip where Kate’s hands move in a very robotic way, and throughout the video, her ring appears and disappears. She is wearing a repeat outfit- practically a crime in the Royal Family, and is found in a pretty, flourishing garden… in March, which she just so happened to film a different promotional video in years ago, wearing the same sweater. It just doesn’t sit right. And the comments all share my speculations too.
I think that this whole situation is fishy, unfortunately really, because it is such a serious matter. And while the truth of the story I want to believe is true, the released AI images and now this video, lead me and many others with a lingering feeling of untrueness and unanswered questions and concerns, as many fake news stories do.
