Thomas Copeland

NEW: The US says an Iranian missile caused a deadly strike in Lamerd. Six experts dispute that, saying the evidence doesn’t match based on the missile’s visual features, trajectory, explosion & number of strikes. Evidence instead points to a US PrSM. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

ICYMI: A US missile was likely used in a deadly strike on a residential area in Lamerd, Iran, BBC Verify analysis suggests. Experts identified the munition as a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) - a new long-range system not previously used in combat. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

✅ Yes, Newt Gingrich shared a post advocating for using nukes to create an alternative shipping route to the Iran-controlled Strait of Hormuz. The proposal originated from a satirical article, but it's unclear if Gingrich realized it was a joke. snopes.com/fact-check/new…

And, we also spent a lot of time debunking countless AI-generated war videos. "Fake videos like these have a detrimental impact on people's trust in the verified information they see online and make it much harder to document real evidence” bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

I thought I'd share a round-up of some of the reporting our team at BBC Verify has been working on this week as the US-Israel war with Iran unfolds. Recap below 🧵

I've not posted much on here about my AI & disinfo reporting for @BBCNews, but after this week's surge of AI Iran war videos, now's a good time. A common question we get is: "Why do people create & post this stuff?" Today's story tries to answer that 👇bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

@Mariajulissa132 Hola María, me llamo Thomas Copeland de BBC News. ¿Podrías seguirme para enviarte un mensaje? Gracias, TC.

Anti-government student protests spread to more Iranian universities bbc.in/4u6JosO

@viewtothenorth Hi John, this is Thomas Copeland from BBC News. Can you follow me back so I can DM you?

Russian fake news network targets Ukraine at Winter Olympics bbc.in/4aF8fLa

BBC Verify and BBC Persian have verified over 100 videos in more than 50 towns and cities during 10 days of nationwide protests in Iran, showing the demonstrations have now spread to the majority of Iran's provinces. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Debunking false claims US bombed Hugo Chavez tomb in Venezuela bbc.in/4qa4R1y

Debunking Venezuela celebration videos and AI images of Maduro bbc.in/4jsfREP

A nearly 11-minute continuous video, filmed from about 50 metres away, reveals how the attack on the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach unfolded and how police and bystanders responded. Read more reporting from BBC Verify here: #post" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">bbc.co.uk/news/live/ckgk…

We discussed the rollout of user location data by X, why it matters, and how it's changing the conversation on the platform after some high-engagement political accounts were criticised for misleading users. @CM_Gallagher @thomasdcopeland youtube.com/watch?v=PKr3BA…

Dozens of high-engagement accounts on X have been accused of misleading users following the roll-out of a new transparency feature that shows user locations. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Will X sharing account locations help tackle disinformation? bbc.in/4rdMBW5

@Ewan_Mcgregor0 Hello, can you please follow me back so I can DM you? Thanks, TC

@AlisaStewart97 Hello, can you please follow me back so I can DM you? Thanks, TC

'Our job is only killing' - how Sudan's brutal militia carried out a massacre We investigated dozens of graphic videos, tracked fighters across social media and analysed satellite imagery. All of which point to a mass killing spree by the RSF. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…