Those “Crash” Videos After the Rio Helicopter Tragedy? Many Are Old Clips From Other Countries.
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June 14
The real crash
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2024
A clip’s real date
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2023
Another’s real date
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High
Fooled Index
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MISLABELED — Real crashes, wrong country and year, passed off as Rio.
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On June 14, two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and everyone aboard was killed, including the American singer Oliver Tree. As the news broke, videos went around that claimed to show the crash. Real footage of the Rio collision does exist, but a lot of what spread did not come from Rio at all.
One widely shared clip showed two helicopters hitting each other above what looked like a stadium. That one came from Malaysia in 2024, when two Navy helicopters collided during a parade rehearsal. CNN had aired the same footage two years earlier. It had nothing to do with Brazil.
Another clip showed a collision near tall buildings by the water. Fact-checkers noticed one helicopter had a fully enclosed tail, a feature the Rio aircraft didn’t have. That footage traced back to a 2023 crash near a SeaWorld park in Australia. Again, real video, wrong event.
This happens with almost every big disaster now. Old clips from other years and other countries get a fresh caption and pass as the latest tragedy. Snopes decided not to put a single rating on it, because some real footage was mixed in with the old stuff, which is exactly what makes these so confusing. The safe move is to wait for trusted news outlets to confirm what’s real before sharing.
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One clip was Malaysia, 2024. A widely shared “Rio” clip actually showed a 2024 Navy helicopter collision in Malaysia. CNN had aired the same footage two years before.
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Another was Australia, 2023. A second clip traced to a 2023 crash near an Australian SeaWorld. One helicopter’s enclosed tail didn’t match the aircraft in Rio.
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Old video, new caption. Both clips were real crashes, just from other years and countries, relabeled to look like the breaking news in Brazil.
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Even Snopes held back a rating. Because real and old footage were mixed together, Snopes chose not to give one rating, to avoid adding to the confusion.
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🚨 Old Crashes, New Caption
Some real footage of the Rio crash exists, but much of what went viral was old video from other disasters, a 2024 collision in Malaysia and a 2023 one in Australia, relabeled as Brazil. When tragic news breaks, recycled clips spread faster than the facts. Wait for a trusted news outlet before you believe or share a “breaking” video.
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No, the Knicks Didn’t Snub the White House — They Were Never Invited (Yet). |
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After the New York Knicks won their first NBA title since 1973, a post claimed the team had turned down an invitation to the White House. It started as satire and got shared as real. The catch: the White House hadn’t actually invited them. “This is fake news,” a White House official told Snopes, adding that a visit might be discussed later. The team’s owner later said an invitation did come and the Knicks accepted it. You can’t decline an invite that was never sent.
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Yes, Officials Really Did Tell Anglers to “Fish All You Want” at Some Western Lakes. |
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This one sounds made up, but it’s true. With a harsh drought drying up reservoirs in Oregon and Colorado, wildlife officials lifted the limits on how many fish people can catch and keep, because those fish are going to die when the water runs out anyway. NBC News reported it, and state wildlife agencies posted the rule changes on their own websites. Sometimes the wild-sounding story is the real one, which is why it’s worth checking either way.
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YOUR REALITY DETECTOR TOOLKIT |
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Today’s Skill: Wait Before You Share “Breaking” Video
When a tragedy hits the news, old clips get dressed up as the latest one.
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Old clips get new captions
The “Rio” videos were really Malaysia in 2024 and Australia in 2023. Treat a “live” disaster clip as unproven until a real outlet confirms it.
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Check the little details
One helicopter’s enclosed tail didn’t match the real aircraft. Backgrounds, signs and shapes can show a video is from another place or time.
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Give it an hour
Recycled clips spread in the first rush. Waiting for a trusted news outlet costs you nothing and saves you from passing on a fake.
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