Before You Share
An election-week check for images, clips and quotes. For families, classrooms and group-chat admins.
In the last week of an election campaign, the phone fills up faster than anyone can check it. Two items from the past few days show why a short pause helps. I chose them for what the pictures show, and I take no side on the politics around them here.
Two real examples from this week
- A video from Iran. On Friday 23 October 2026, Iran posted an AI-generated video in Arabic on X titled "Coming Soon." According to MEMRI's description, it shows Iran's supreme leader authorising a nuclear test. Within days it was being retold in Israel as an order to drop atomic bombs on Israel. Same clip, different claim.
- An image shared by Israel's prime minister. On Sunday 25 October 2026, the prime minister shared on social media an activist's post that included an AI-generated image of a nuclear blast over Tel Aviv (reported by The Times of Israel, which describes an X post, and The Jerusalem Post, which describes Instagram). The image illustrates a warning. It does not show an event.
In both cases the picture was made by a computer. In both cases the words around it did the work.
The six questions
- Who posted it first? Find the original account, not the screenshot of the screenshot.
- When? Check the date. Old clips come back every election.
- Was it made by a computer? Look for an "AI" label, odd hands or text, and whether the source says so.
- What does it actually show, and what does the caption say it shows? Write the two down side by side if you need to.
- Is there a second source? One reliable outlet that saw it independently is the minimum. If you can't find one, say so: "single source, not yet confirmed."
- Does sharing it help anyone? If it is negative about a person, the Chafetz Chaim's rules apply (see below).
Quotes need the same care
A quote travels further than a picture and changes on the way. Before you repeat what someone "said," find the words they actually used, the date, and whether they clarified them afterwards. Repeat the words, not the summary.
What the Chafetz Chaim adds
The Chafetz Chaim (Hilchot Lashon Hara, Klal 10) allows sharing negative information only for a real purpose, and only under conditions. Among them:
- you know it yourself, or have confirmed it is true, and are not relying on hearsay;
- you do not make it bigger than it is;
- your aim is to help, not to enjoy someone else's discredit.
The Rambam (Hilchot De'ot 7:2) draws a further line. Saying something negative and true about a person is lashon hara. Saying something false is a different sin with its own name, motzi shem ra. A forwarded fake can be both.
For the family group chat
- Pin this rule: no forward without a source.
- If you posted something wrong, post the correction in the same place.
- Israeli law bars publishing election polls until 22:00 on Tuesday 27 October 2026. A "leaked poll" in your chat before then is a reason to stop and check, and not to forward.
Sources
- MEMRI TV clip page, "AI Video Titled 'Coming Soon' Simulates an Iranian Nuclear Test," 23 October 2026.
- The Times of Israel, 25 October 2026, report on the AI image post; The Jerusalem Post, election coverage, 25 October 2026.
- Chafetz Chaim, Hilchot Lashon Hara, Klal 10:2; Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot 7:2 (Sefaria).
All glory to the Ribono shel Olam · Errors are mine.
Prepared in deep partnership and cooperation with Grok and xAI