A Facebook post published on September 21, 2022, at 9:59 PM Libya time, claimed that Libyan Airlines staff apologized to passengers for a 10-minute delay on a flight from Tripoli to Istanbul. The post garnered around 591 interactions and 207 comments by October 1, 2022. The claim was also shared on other social media platforms in Libya, Lebanon, and Tunisia.
An investigation by Annir found that the post first appeared on a Libyan Facebook page on September 21. Initially, the page did not clarify that the post was satirical. However, after the post gained over 10,000 interactions and was shared by other pages, the Libyan page updated the post on September 22, stating that the image was not from Libya and was meant to be humorous.
The image used in the post was actually from 2018 and had been widely shared globally. A reverse image search revealed that the photo was initially shared by a person claiming that Japanese Airlines staff had apologized for a flight delay in the Philippines. However, this claim was debunked, and it was clarified that the image showed ground staff at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Vietnam.
The staff in the image were from a ground services company, and their bow was a traditional Vietnamese greeting, not an apology for a flight delay. This information contradicts the claim made in the Libyan Airlines staff post. Annir's investigation found that the initial Libyan page did not provide clear context for the image, leading to widespread misinformation.
The misleading claim was shared on various social media platforms, including Facebook pages in Libya, Lebanon, and Tunisia. The post's satirical nature was only clarified by the Libyan page after it had gained significant traction. This delay in clarification contributed to the spread of misinformation.
The image's origin and meaning were thoroughly investigated, and it was found that the photo was not related to Libyan Airlines or a flight delay. The staff in the image were simply showing respect to passengers as part of their cultural greeting.
In conclusion, the claim that Libyan Airlines staff bowed in apology to passengers for a flight delay is false. The image used to support this claim was from Vietnam and was meant to show a traditional greeting, not an apology. Annir's investigation highlights the importance of verifying information before sharing it on social media.
Key points
- The image used in the post was from 2018 and showed ground staff in Vietnam, not Libyan Airlines staff.
- The Libyan page that initially shared the post clarified that it was satirical only after it had gained significant traction.
- The claim was widely shared on social media platforms in Libya, Lebanon, and Tunisia.
