A Video So Real It Looks Fake

March 26, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

Brian and expert fact-checker Sofia Rubinson discuss the impact of a viral lie related to the war in Iran and the rise of AI deepfakes.

Brian sits down with expert fact-checker Sofia Rubinson who spends hours every day tracking lies online, and together they dissect a single lie that’s been rocketing around the world to millions of people, affecting the way people think about the war in Iran — including the world’s biggest podcaster.  Sofia says the AI deepfakes she’s seen consume the internet in just the last few weeks make her worried that we’ve entered a dangerous new phase of disinformation.  Watch the video of Benjamin Netanyahu featured in this episode, which NewsGuard confirmed to be real. You can sign up for NewsGuard’s Reality Check newsletter here . And here’s our Question Everything newsletter . “Question Everything” is a production of KCRW and Placement Theory .  Guests:  Sofia Rubinson, senior editor of Reality Check for NewsGuard If you’re interested in Fabric by Gerber Life go to https://meetfabric.com/QUESTION and apply today, risk-free.

People in this episode

Host: Brian Reed

Guest: Sofia Rubinson

Topics covered

disinformation
fact-checking
AI deepfakes
war in Iran
media influence

Keywords

disinformation
fact-checking
AI deepfakes
war in Iran
Sofia Rubinson
media
podcasting

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NewsGuard, KCRW, Placement Theory

Products: Fabric by Gerber Life