The Statement
AAP FactCheck examined a Facebook post from August 13, 2019 by an Australian user featuring a picture of two trees on opposite rock ledges appearing to kiss.
The post accompanying the image reads: “Isn’t nature amazing”.
The post has attracted more than 17,000 shares and more than 820 reactions.
The Analysis
AAP FactCheck examined the image and found the original picture dated back to at least March 2012 after conducting a reverse image search.
The search also revealed the image’s location via details in the image name. The picture was taken at Bastei, a prominent rock formation in Saxon Switzerland, Germany. Bastei and the Bastei Bridge are a popular tourist attraction in the German state of Saxony and the site is located 30 kilometres southest of the capital Dresden.
According to the timeline of results from the image search, the picture was altered on July 26, 2019 and posted on reddit.com by the user neigesdantan.
On the same day in a post titled, ‘A long-awaited kjss, me, Photomanipulation, 2019’, neigesdantan explained how the Bastei image was created and changed following a discussion with another user about drawing. “Hey, this is photomanipulation. I mainly cut branches off a tree picture and pasted on another picture following a kiss drawing someone else did. be confident in your drawing, there’s no reason here not to be!”
The image has been shared across social media.
The Verdict
Based on this evidence, AAP FactCheck found the Facebook post showing a picture of two trees appearing to kiss to be fake. The 2012 photo was manipulated in July 2019 and the creator disclosed how he created the image.
False – The primary claim of the content is factually inaccurate.
First published October 17, 2019, 17:28 AEST
