Social media fake: Elon Musk didn't really say that everyone hates him because of Ukrainians
A fake screenshot from the Fox News Channel's Fox Friends First programme, where Elon Musk is credited with saying: "MUSK: IT'S UKRAINE'S FAULT THAT EVERYONEHATESME" ("MUSK: IT'S UKRAINE'S FAULT THAT EVERYONE HATES ME").
In fact, this is a fake. The original footage from the programme, which aired on 21 February 2025, contains a completely different caption:
"Musk: America will go bankrupt if we don't solve thedeficit".
A real screenshot of the email used to create the fake. Illustration: Fox News
The caption below the screenshot says that former White House Chief Information Officer Theresa Payton joined Fox Friends First to discuss Musk's comments about the importance of addressing the deficit and her view on the Trump administration sending taxpayer cheques with DOGE savings.
This confirms that the manipulators simply took the real footage from the broadcast and replaced the text on the caption, creating disinformation. This case proves once again how easy it is to distort reality in the digital age and spread fake news to the masses. To avoid becoming a victim of manipulation, you should always check primary sources, especially when it comes to high-profile statements by public figures.
How such fakes are spread
Ukrainians are constantly reminded that they are massively liking fake images created by AI on Facebook. Most often, such images are created to evoke certain strong emotions - usually, they may contain AI-generated images of Ukrainian soldiers who have lost their limbs. Such pages are created to gain high reach - the activity of Ukrainians is perceived by social media algorithms as important information. And then these pages are used to spread similar fakes.
The gg editorial team once again reminds us of the need for information hygiene during the war. And urges not to disseminate unverified information. And in general, use only information from trusted sources that do not spread fakes.