Snopes, PolitiFact and Zelensky's Duet

I'm kind of a stickler when it comes to sources and fact checking. Look back over the significant quantity of citations in the "Sources" sections of The Gazette columns reprinted in this blog (and sent with the column copy to The Gazette editors). You'll see what I mean -- though of course sources never appear in the newsprint or digitial paper editions of The Gazette.

March 11, I posted a video on Facebook that I've discovered misled me, and of course those who reacted (42), commented (17), or shared it (65) [as of 3:30 PM this March 12 afternoon]. (It is embedded at the bottom of this page.) [As of March 14, 2045: reactions (50), comments (29), shared (77), views (626).]

When sent to me it was represented to be Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Olena, playing and singing together "Endless Love." At that time there was nothing in Snopes (a fact finding Website of which more below) to indicate that was not the case. Subsequently, I came to discover that the artists were not them but rather, "The singer identified as Zelensky is actually lead vocalist Alejandro Manzano, and the woman identified as his wife is actually Connie Talbot."

Rather than take down the Facebook post I've decided to leave it up for the beautiful music it is and the joy it has brought to so many -- along with crediting the actual performers. Of course, if they should object to this posting of their performance, and let me know, I'll be happy to remove it. Under the circumstances, so long as the facts are clear, I cannot see that Zelensky, Zelenska, Manzano, and Talbot are being harmed in any way by its distribution.

But I view the events surrounding this post of sufficient significance to warrant more discussion than would easily fit in a Facebook "comment."

Are Volodymyr Zelensky and Olena Zelenska Professional Musicians?
The short answer is, "I don't know." The longer answer is that the video I put on Facebook appears to, but does not, answer that question.

To the best of my recollection I have never posted to Facebook anything described in ways I knew to be false. Nor did I do so on this occasion. But I feel I should explain some of the reasons why it happened.

(a) The video was sent to me by a friend whose material has never before been questionable. (b) It was creditable. That the extraordinary personality, Zelensky, who had a prior career as an entertainer, would also be a musician seemed totally plausable. (c) Though I was then unfamiliar with his wife's appearance, the man certainly looked like Zelensky to me. (d) I am on guard with allegations that appear designed to harm the reputation of another (often candidates for office). This clearly did not appear to be that -- quite the contrary. (e) At that time, fact-checking source Snopes had published nothing about it. (f) My heart was so heavy with sorrow and empathy for Ukrainians, along with dispair at our permitting the Russians' slaugher of these innocents, and overwhelming admiration for Zelensky's leadership, that I found the thought of he and his wife singing "Everlasting Love" (for each other and their country) so moving that I wanted to share it with other Americans who felt the same way. (g) Once told of the suggestions that the performers were not Zelensky and his wife those assertions needed to be verified. (We are all, in this age of "alternative facts," well aware that what turn out to be true facts are sometimes maligned as "false (or fake) facts.")

To compare the appearance of the two couples, here is a picture of Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska. See the video, at the bottom of this page, to compare them with the actual performers:

We all have a responsibility to check out the stories we pass on to others. A list of fact checking organizations and Web sites can be found here: Bill Adair, "Fake News & Misinformation: How to Spot and Verify," Poynter Institute and St. Louis Community College Libraries, June 16, 2021, https://guides.stlcc.edu/fakenews/factchecking.

My go-to fact checking site has been Snopes (https://www.snopes.com/), of which the article just cited says, "Founded by David Mikkelson, a project begun in 1994 as an expression of his interest in researching urban legends that has since grown into the oldest and largest fact-checking site on the Internet, one widely regarded by journalists, folklorists, and laypersons alike as one of the world’s essential resources. Read about methodology and rating system at http://www.snopes.com/about-snopes/"

As it happened, Snopes had not, as of March 11, reported on this video. I have emailed them about it, and I'm sure they will soon post something. [March 14: Snopes' post can now be found here: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/zelenskyy-sing-endless-love/ ]

Another fact checker, that has already reported about the video, is PoltiFact (https://www.politifact.com), about which the article, above, says: "Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact is run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper in Florida. PolitiFact staffers research statements and rate their accuracy on the Truth-O-Meter, from True to False. The most ridiculous falsehoods get the lowest rating, Pants on Fire").

PolitiFact has this to say about the video:

A video of a couple singing "Endless Love," a 1981 song by Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross, is spreading online with a surprising description: that it shows Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky and his wife. ... But the people in this video aren’t Zelensky, who was an entertainer prior to entering politics, or his wife, Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine. The couple has captured international attention as they have stood defiant and vocal in their resistance to Russia....We searched online for "Endless Love duet covers" and found the video was posted on YouTube two weeks ago by Boyce Avenue, a band from Florida known for their cover songs.The singer identified as Zelensky is actually lead vocalist Alejandro Manzano, and the woman identified as his wife is actually Connie Talbot."

Ciara O'Rourke, "Video shows Volodymr Zelensky singing 'Endless Love' with his wife; No, this isn’t a video of Zelensky singing a Lionel Ritchie song," The Pointer Institute, PolitiFact, March 10, 2022, https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/mar/10/viral-image/no-isnt-video-zelensky-singing-lionel-ritchie-song/

Here, then, is the video:



Along with the text with which I introduced it on my Facebook page:

Here is the couple whose lives are most at risk, from a war they did not start, and in which we told Putin we don't want to become involved. Watch the 4-minute video and then tell me if your eyes are still dry and the price of gas is still your greatest concern.

And the text that accompanied the video that I received:

"A crooner before a comedian and commander-in-chief. During this tense and horrifying moments in Ukraine, aside from intense prayer to God, let us listen to Pres Volodymyr Zelensky and wife Olena Zelenska sing 'Endless Love' not only for each other but for their beloved country Ukraine."

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Snopes and 'What We Know That Ain't So'

August 2, 2012, 10:30 p.m.

"It's not what we don't know that's the problem, it's what we know that ain't so."
-- Mark Twain
[the quote, in a variety of forms, is variously attributed to Mark Twain, Will Rogers, and others. (The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations, 1987, attributes it to Josh Billings.)]

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts."
-- Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
[as attributed to Moynihan by Robert Sobel.]

"A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth - some obvious truth he isn't supposed to say."
-- Michael Kinsley
[Kinsely gaffe, Wikipedia.]

"[I]in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously."
-- Adolph Hitler
[Mein Kampf, vol. I, ch. X.]

It's silly season. Presidential politics is in full swing. It has been said that "the first casualty of war is truth." Truth is also a casualty of politics.

Some of the things that are said of candidates during campaigns may strike us as so outrageous as to be funny. Others may prompt us to think, "that can't be right, . . . can it?"

We may not be paying close attention. The assertion may square with our beliefs, ideology, or prejudices. Whatever our condition and response, the assertion has entered that electro-chemical soup that is our brain, and continues to float around in there in one form or another.

Most K-12 school districts are not as candid as the Texas Republicans were in their platform -- a flat out opposition to "Higher Order Thinking Skills":

"Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority." "2012 Republican Party of Texas Report of Platform Committee," p. 12.

But before you start ridiculing Texas, remember that the absence of overt opposition to teaching "higher order thinking skills" is not the same as the existence of such programs. How many school districts are training our children how to use the two most powerful questions in critical thinking: "What do you mean?" and "How do you know?"? Is yours? See, Nicholas Johnson, "Governing America: 'What do you mean?' and 'How do you know?," Address at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, April 3, 1997, and Nicholas Johnson, What Do You Mean and How Do You Know? An Antidote for the Language That Does Our Thinking for Us (Lulu: 2009).

The reason I suspect these skills are not widely taught and practiced is because of the quantity of demonstrably false assertions that are passed along on the Internet by folks I know to be relatively well informed, intelligent, and sometimes highly educated individuals.

When my wife, Mary Vasey, and I are sent such assertions we sometimes check them out on Snopes and send the results to the originator, along with the suggestion that they might consider using Snopes the next time they are tempted to e-mail everyone they know something that seems questionable on its face.

"So what is Snopes?" you ask. Snopes is a Web site that self-defines itself as "the definitive Internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation." For Snopes' origins, owners, history, and reliability, see Snopes.com, Wikipedia.org. (And see also, FactCheck.org, Wikipedia.org.)

And now for a little quiz, drawing upon the resources of Snopes. There are quite a number of assertions going around the Internet regarding our president, Barack Obama. Look over this list of a sampling, the first 55 of the 122 Snopes has checked out. (1)Note the number that seem to be outrageous on their face, and yet have received wide circulation. (2) See if you can guess which ones checked out as true, and which are false, and which are a bit of both. (To see the whole list go to Snopes.com Barack Obama. Snopes also has a list for Mitt Romney -- although with a total of no more than 9.)

Illinois senator Barack Obama is a "radical Muslim" who "will not recite the Pledge of Allegiance."

Barack Obama was sworn into office on the Quran.

Photograph shows Barack Obama without his hand over his heart while the U.S. national anthem is being played.

Barack Obama has been endorsed for President of the U.S. by the Ku Klux Klan.

Barack Obama's presidential campaign is being funded by Hugo Chávez.

Editorial criticizes anachronisms in Barack Obama's 2007 Selma speech.

Barack Obama urged his supporters to join him in changing "the greatest nation in the history of the world."

Photograph shows Barack Obama with various family members.

Editorial criticizes Barack Obama's political stances.

Access to Michelle Obama's senior thesis was restricted until after the 2008 presidential election.

Photograph shows Barack Obama holding a telephone upside down.

E-mail reproduces Barack Obama's statement about the U.S. national anthem.

E-mail from missionary describes Barack Obama's connection to political events in Kenya.

The Book of Revelation describes the Anti-Christ as someone with characteristics matching those of Barack Obama.

E-mail lists fifty lies told by Barack Obama.

E-mail lists quotes garnered from Barack Obama's books.

Barack Obama does not qualify as a natural-born citizen of the U.S. because his mother was too young.

During a campaign stop, Barack Obama said that he had visited fifty-seven states.

Barack Obama announces every time he claps a child in America dies from gun violence; kid in classroom tells him to stop doing that.

During the 1960's, Robert F. Kennedy said he believed a black man could become President of the United States within forty years.

The bulk of donations to the Obama campaign come from a handful of wealthy foreign financiers.

E-mail compares proposed changes in taxes after the 2008 presidential election.

Barack Obama's birth certificate is a forgery.

Insurance broker posts "A taxpayer voting for Barack Obama is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders" sign.

Barack Obama "blew off" U.S. soldiers during a July 2008 trip to Afghanistan.

Barack Obama removed the U.S. flag from the tail of his airplane and replaced it with his own logo.

During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Barack Obama said, "a strong government hand is needed to assure that wealth is distributed more equitably."

Hundreds of people with physical ailments have reported being healed by a touch from Barack Obama.

Native Americans dubbed Barack Obama "Walking Eagle."

E-mail presents Bill Brown's assessment of Barack Obama's political record.

E-mail lists unpaid campaign debts incurred by Senator Joe Biden.

Joe Biden is planning to step down from the vice-presidential slot on the Democratic ticket in favor of Hillary Clinton.

E-mail warns of health issues associated with the Obama-Biden ticket.

Three former Fannie Mae executives are linked to the Obama campaign as chief economic advisors.

Barack Obama's education and house were paid for with money obtained from questionable sources.

Barack Obama filed a lawsuit to require banks to "make loans to poor people."

Barack Obama has an acquaintanceship with Bill Ayers, a former domestic terrorist.

The editor of the National Review has endorsed Barack Obama for president.

Photograph shows Barack Obama carrying The Post-American World, "a Muslim's view of a defeated America."

The Obama campaign sent Secret Service agents to visit a Texas woman after a volunteer worker deliberately misreported their phone conversation.

Barack Obama never mentioned Israel by name in either of the first two 2008 presidential debates.

Michelle Obama gorged herself on an expensive room service dinner while her husband was attending a meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

Barack Obama admitted to being a Muslim during an ABC News interview.

Barack Obama would not qualify for a security clearance due to his relationship with Bill Ayers.

Barack Obama asked law enforcement personnel to remain out of view during a campaign event in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Scholars at the Smithsonian Institution have uncovered new interpretations of Nostradamus that relate to Barack Obama.

The numbers 6-6-6 were the winning combination in an Illinois lottery the day after Election Day 2008.

President Obama issued an order "allowing hundreds of thousands Palestinians to resettle in the United States."

As part of the inauguration festivities, Tiger Woods gave a speech in thanks of the military.

Photograph shows a store's display window presenting books about Barack Obama with a book about monkeys.

Photograph shows the tail number of Air Force One to be "N166ER."

CIA director Leon Panetta's daughter is a "radical anti-American."

Statement reproduces President Obama's response regarding opposition to his veterans' health insurance plan.

Message details decisions made by President Obama in directing the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates.

Message details requirements of the GIVE (Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education) act.

To see how well you did, go to Snopes.com Barack Obama for the Snopes team's evaluations.

Then reflect on what this means for our campaigns, our democracy, our government. How much can a self-governing people "know that ain't so" and still survive?

Let's vow to do all we can to think before we repeat what looks questionable, to check it out with Snopes, and politely remind those with whom we exchange emails to do the same.

We'll miss some; we'll make mistakes. I'm sure I have. But we can all do better, and it's important that we do.

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