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Viral image
stated on July 14, 2023 in a Facebook post:
The Las Vegas Sphere displayed a derogatory message directed at President Joe Biden.
- Nevada
- Facebook Fact-checks
- Viral image
By Ciara O'RourkeJuly 20, 2023
If Your Time is short
- This photo was fabricated.
See the sources for this fact-check
The forthcoming Sphere venue in Las Vegas is true to its name: It’s a massive spherical structure that will host concerts and shows inside, and it recently started flaunting the power of its outdoor LED screen, transforming into what looked like a giant basketball, and later a blinking eye.
A recent Facebook post suggests the sphere also displayed a more political message: "F — Biden."
An image in the post appears to show the sphere with the letter F followed by the American flag in place of two letters, and then the letter K above the president’s last name.
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat alse news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Featured Fact-check
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stated on March 24, 2024 in a Facebook post
Nickelodeon's splat logo design is based on the shape of Epstein Island.
Sphere Entertainment Co. didn’t immediately respond to PolitiFact’s questions about the post, but we found no evidence that this message was actually displayed in Sin City.It doesn’t appear in a photo gallery of the sphere’s displays on the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s website, and we didn’t find any news stories reporting that the venue gave the figurative finger to President Joe Biden.
Rather, the Instagram post appears to be a screenshot of a TikTok filter that lets users put their faces–and more–on the sphere.
We rate claims the Sphere venue displayed a derogatory message at Biden False.
Read About Our Process
The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter
Our Sources
Facebook post, July 14, 2023
TikTok filter, visited July 20, 2023
Observer, James Dolan’s Sphere looms large in Las Vegas, July 18, 2023
Las Vegas Review-Journal, A big basketball and a mammoth moon: For Sphere, what’s next?, July 19, 2023
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Sphere: 5 things we’ve learned about the venue so far, July 13, 2023
Las Vegas Review-Journal, The Las Vegas Sphere’s displays, so far — PHOTOS, July 7, 2023
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
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