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| - WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Facebook pages are reporting eye-catching stories about Australian TV host Natalie Barr.
OUR VERDICT
False. The stories are AI-generated fakes.
AAP FACTCHECK - Sunrise host Natalie Barr has become the flavour of the month for foreign Facebook pages seeking to spread disinformation in Australia.
In recent weeks, posts have falsely accused Barr of launching an anti-LGBTQI diatribe, calling the prime minister a traitor and labelling burqas as a symbol of extremism.
The fake news pages, primarily run by operators in Vietnam according to Meta's transparency data, publish dozens of posts about the journalist and presenter each week.
The posts direct Facebook users to websites laden with adverts and other disinformation.
One post claims she called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a traitor who is "destroying the country".
While Barr regularly interviews Australia's political leaders, there is no record of the comments in the post.
Also, the image of Barr appears to be AI-generated. The lanyard in the image has garbled letters, and Barr is using a handheld mic that is inconsistent with the usual Sunrise setup.
There are also inaccuracies with her and the prime minister's physical appearance.
Clashes with leading politicians are a common theme of the posts.
One post claims Ms Barr accused Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young of not being an Australian.
"Test her, I'm sure she's not Australian," Barr supposedly said on live television.
Another post claims she labelled federal minister Anika Wells "Anthony Albanese's puppet" and told her to "sit down, Barbie" live on air. There is no record of such a confrontation, and the claim is entirely made up.
Another post claims Barr called Mr Albanese and his government "a bunch of fakes" for pretending to build wind turbines but actually destroying wildlife areas.
"Not a single person has received help from you, but you use that excuse to deny the destruction of nature and the animals that need protection, not a single hedgehog or koala has escaped," she purportedly said.
There is no evidence of the quote, and there are no hedgehogs in the wild in Australia.
The claims also regularly include AI-generated images, including one of her alongside the prime minister and one in front of an urban background.
Other posts suggest she has spoken out on LGBTQI issues, including several posts that claim she has criticised Pride Month.
Some posts claim she has issued a warning about children being exposed to LGBTQI themes in cartoons. Barr has made no such comments.
Other posts claim she called the burqa a "symbol of extremism" and "a potential security risk" and that her comments sparked a public reaction.
Again, there is no evidence she expressed the claimed opinion on burqas, and no evidence of the claimed public reaction.
Another post claims Barr made a statement in support of One Nation leader Pauline Hanson live on air.
"Pauline Hanson stands up for us, but the government keeps trying to smear and accuse her," Barr supposedly said.
However, this is also false. There is no record of her making this public statement.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, BlueSky, TikTok and YouTube.
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