Debunking Fake News: Facebook Post Misleads Public on WYO Fires

If there is one thing I hate, it's misinformation being spread, especially across social media.

That is the case with a recent post that has since gone viral on Facebook. The post includes two obvious A.I. (artificial intelligence) generated photos of the fires in Wyoming and a video of three elk supposedly running through the blaze.

The post was originally shared by Richard T. Railey yesterday morning (Wednesday, October 9th, 2024). Along with the photos and the video, he used a caption which read:

WYOMING IS BURNING!
The Elk Fire in Big Horn National Forest, WY has consumed 73,000+ acres of land and is only 10% contained. This started 2 weeks ago!!
These elk are literally running through fire because they have no place to go.

I found the original video (or one of the hundreds of versions that are out there), which was shared way back on August 21st, 2021, by ABC News X/Twitter feed, when the blazes were actually taking place in Big Horn County, Montana.

The original caption for the video reads:

A firefighter filmed elk successfully fleeing the flames of a blaze in Montana's Big Horn County, which has scorched nearly 67,000 acres.

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Wyoming is definitely going through it right now with the wildfires, but "stealing" someone else's video and using it for likes and views is inexcusable. The A.I. generated photos makes it even worse, like it was deliberate. Even if Mr. Railey did this in error, that still doesn't make it any less wrong. Spreading lies on social media is a big no-no and is the most unscrupulous of behaviors.