The declare: Video exhibits Assistant Well being Secretary Rachel Levine performing pagan chant
A Nov. 19 Fb video (direct link, archive link) exhibits a girl in glasses and a scarf performing an equinox-related ritual within the forest.
“Assistant Secretary of Well being and Human Companies Dr. ‘Rachel’ Levine can be a Excessive Pagan Priestess,” the publish’s caption reads.
Different variations of the declare have been shared on Facebook and X.
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Our ranking: Altered
The video is a deepfake of Assistant Well being Secretary Rachel Levine. Her face was edited onto a video of the senior minister of a non secular church in Wisconsin.
Video edited to indicate assistant well being secretary
Levine has been the topic of misinformation and disparaging online comments all through her profession as assistant health secretary.
However the video connecting her to a supposed pagan ritual is altered.
Levine’s face was digitally superimposed over the face of a girl named Selena Fox, who initially shared the video on Instagram on Sept. 15. Fox’s face differs from Levine’s, and he or she doesn’t put on glasses within the unique footage.
The video is an instance of a deepfake, which is when a picture or video is convincingly altered to make it seem as if somebody did or stated one thing they did not.
Fox is listed as a senior minister and high priestess on the web site for Circle Sanctuary, which describes itself as a “nature spirituality church” and “pagan useful resource middle” in Wisconsin.
She confirmed to USA TODAY that the altered Fb video was primarily based on her unique footage, by which she was celebrating the upcoming autumnal equinox. Her unique publish’s caption contains the phrase “#Equinoxiscoming subsequent Sunday” and he or she might be heard chanting in regards to the equinox in the course of the video.
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Fox additionally stated the video was altered in several Facebook posts.
In one such post, she linked to AFP’s fact-check of the declare and stated, “ALERT: Within the Information: Video of Equinox Ritual Chant at our Equinox Stone is of me, Selena Fox & NOT Federal H&HS Assistant Secretary Rachel Levine!”
USA TODAY reached out to the consumer who shared the publish for remark however didn’t instantly obtain a response.
Lead Stories additionally debunked the declare.
Our fact-check sources
- Selena Fox, Nov. 25, Electronic mail trade with USA TODAY
- Selena Fox, Sept. 15, Instagram post
- Selena Fox, Nov. 21, Facebook post
- Selena Fox, Nov. 22, Facebook post
- Selena Fox, Nov. 23, Facebook post
- Circle Sanctuary, accessed Nov. 25, About Rev. Selena Fox
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( headline and story edited by our workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
