A video depicting a newscast includes pictures of Haya Akhbari, who interned for Sherrod Brown several years ago.
Posted by Deadline: White House, Checked
- Sources
- 6 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Deadline: White HouseOct 28, 2026
The AP report, republished in several outlets, says the AI-manipulated video depicts a newscast and includes pictures of Haya Akbik, a former intern for Sherrod Brown several years ago. The claim's name spelling ("Akhbari") matches the passage but differs from the sources' "Akbik", which appears to be the same person.
What was said
… night: quote Social media videos believed to be produced with artificial intelligence and linked to Russia are misusing real people's names and photographs to spread disinformation about two Democratic Senate candidates. One of the targets is Sherrod Brown. A video, which appears to include some AI manipulation, depicts a newscast and includes pictures of Haya Akhbari, who interned for Brown several years ago, and other former staff members. So, accounts with ties to Russia are actively involved in the kind of influence campaign that really helped launch Donald Trump's first term. …
Deadline: White House · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. AP reports the video depicts a newscast and includes pictures of Haya Akbik, who interned for Brown several years ago, along with other former staff members.[1][4][5][6]
Supports. PolitiFact reports that Storm-1516 altered a real Cleveland 19 News report to create a fake on-air segment about Brown, consistent with the newscast depiction.[2]
Supports. Lead Stories fact-checked a fake Cleveland 19 newscast accusing Sherrod Brown's former staffers, finding the audio AI-generated and no matching report on the station's site.[3]
Context. The former intern, Akbik, told AP the claims attributed to her in the clip are 'completely made up', confirming she is the person pictured and that the clip is false.[1][4][7]
Context. Sources spell the name 'Akbik' while the passage and claim spell it 'Akhbari'; the sources otherwise describe the same person, so the spelling variant does not change the referent.[1][4][6]
Sources
7 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 3 not rated, 1 rated low
- 1Disinformation videos, likely from Russia, target Senate ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Russian influence operation linked to attacks targeting ...politifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Just Because It's Trending Doesn't Mean It's True - Lead Storiesleadstories.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 4Disinformation videos exploit real people to malign Senate candidateslimaohio.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 5Disinformation videos, likely from Russia, are exploiting real people to malign Senate candidatesnewsnationnow.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Disinformation videos, likely from Russia, are exploiting real people to malign Senate candidates - The Economic Timeseconomictimes.indiatimes.com · rated low for factual reporting by Iffy.news · cited for: supports, context
- 7What Are the AI Deepfake Videos Targeting Sherrod Brown and James Talarico?attackofthefanboy.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post