A PHOTOGRAPH SHARED on Facebook in Ireland and other countries in recent days appears to show Donald Trump holding and kissing Jeffrey Epstein in the back of a car. 

Epstein, a financier and sex offender who was found dead in a New York prison cell last August, has been linked to the US president in a number of conspiracy theories that have been shared on social media since his death. 

This particular image is one of the many false memes, photographs and articles connecting the two. 

One version of the photograph that has been posted on Facebook in recent days has been shared 475 times, while another has been shared more than 100 times. 

The photograph is a fake. It is a doctored version of a photograph from the 1990s which clearly shows Donald Trump with his daughter Ivanka. 

In the false image, you can see part of Ivanka’s hair flowing down the left hand side of Epstein’s face. 

The original image can be seen here. 

Jeffrey Epstein did have some connections to Donald Trump – the two were social acquaintances, and Trump told a journalist in 2002 that Epstein was “terrific” and that “he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

However, whatever connections the two had, this photograph is not one of them. 

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There is a lot of false news and scaremongering being spread in Ireland at the moment about coronavirus. Here are some practical ways for you to assess whether the messages that you’re seeing – especially on WhatsApp – are true or not. 

STOP, THINK AND CHECK 

Look at where it’s coming from. Is it someone you know? Do they have a source for the information (e.g. the HSE website) or are they just saying that the information comes from someone they know? A lot of the false news being spread right now is from people claiming that messages from ‘a friend’ of theirs. Have a look yourself – do a quick Google search and see if the information is being reported elsewhere. 

Secondly, get the whole story, not just a headline. A lot of these messages have got vague information (“all the doctors at this hospital are panicking”) and don’t mention specific details. This is often – but not always a sign – that it may not be accurate. 

Finally, see how you feel after reading it. A lot of these false messages are designed to make people feel panicked. They’re deliberately manipulating your feelings to make you more likely to share it. If you feel panicked after reading something, check it out and see if it really is true.

TheJournal.ie’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here

Have you gotten a message on WhatsApp or Facebook or Twitter about coronavirus that you’re not sure about and want us to check it out? Message or mail us and we’ll look into debunking it. WhatsApp: 085 221 4696 or Email: answers@thejournal.ie.