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No, this isn't a real photo of Barack Obama kissing David Cameron
A photo posted on Facebook shows former President Barack Obama kissing David Cameron, Britain’s former prime minister. Michelle Obama and Oprah are looking on from the edges of the frame with shocked expressions on their faces.
"Big Daddy O wants this picture removed from the Internet. Share the hell out of it!!!!" text below the photo reads.
If that image sounds fake to you, it's because it is.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Featured Fact-check
The image has appeared elsewhere, like on the website Know Your Meme. In this version, Michelle Obama and Oprah are absent though a similar call to action also asks people to repost the picture. But Know Your Meme has labeled this one a parody. Another so-called "Fraternal Kiss" parody photo in the site’s collection? Obama kissing former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The image was part of a 2011 advertising campaign from the United Colors of Benetton (and the Obama White House was not happy about it).
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The photo of Obama and Cameron, however, doesn’t appear to be a marketing ploy. Rather, it looks like a guerilla Photoshop job.
The original photo shows Obama kissing Michelle. According to the caption on a Nov. 6, 2008, Belfast Telegraph story, it happened after he gave his victory speech in Chicago on election night on Nov. 4 that year. The image was also posted on other websites, like Pinterest.
We rate this Facebook post Pants on Fire!
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Our Sources
Facebook post, March 25, 2019
Know Your Meme, "Fraternal Kiss" parodies — Obama kissing David Cameron, visited March 27, 2019
Reuters, "White House slams ad showing Obama-Chavez kiss," Nov. 17, 2011
Belfast Telegraph, "Can Barack Obama heal America?" Nov. 6, 2008
Pinterest post, visited March 27, 2019
Getty Images, Conservative Party Conference - Day Four, visited March 27, 2019
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No, this isn't a real photo of Barack Obama kissing David Cameron
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