Fact check: Altered image spreads online of Dr. Oz campaign sign rotated to read 'NO'

Ana Faguy, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: Image shows Dr. Oz posed for a photo with a rotated sign that says 'NO'

With the Senate evenly split between Republicans and Democrats (a caucus that includes two independents), the upcoming midterms offer an opportunity for one party to take control.

This has brought increased scrutiny on social media for contests like the Pennsylvania Senate race between Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, celebrity surgeon, and Democrat John Fetterman, Pennsylvania's current lieutenant governor.

One Aug. 28 Facebook post, a screenshot of a tweet, shows a purported picture of Oz and several waiters at a campaign stop. In the photo one waiter is holding a "Dr. Oz U.S. Senate" sign rotated vertically so the word "Oz" appears to say "NO" instead.

The purported image also spread widely on Twitter and Instagram, accumulating tens of thousands of interactions. One Aug. 29 Instagram post accrued more than 400 likes in two days before it was deleted.

Many social media commenters believed the photo was real.

"That smirk says she knew what she was doing," one Instagram user commented, referring to the woman holding the sign.

But the image is altered. Oz posted the same image with the sign rotated correctly to read "Oz" on his social media accounts earlier in August.

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USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the image for comment.

Dr. Mehmet Oz receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 11, 2022, in Hollywood, California.
Dr. Mehmet Oz receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 11, 2022, in Hollywood, California.

Image was digitally altered

The original photo of Oz was captured on Aug. 12 during a campaign stop at the Capitol Diner in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The photo was subsequently posted on the Twitter and Facebook accounts for his campaign. 

In the original photo, Oz posed with diner employees while one employee held a horizontal Dr. Oz sign.

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Local news outlets published other images showing Oz's visit to the central Pennsylvania restaurant.

Our rating: Altered

Based on our research, we rate ALTERED an image purporting to show Oz posed for a photo with a rotated sign that says "NO." A photo of Oz from an Aug. 12 campaign stop in Harrisburg was edited to rotate a sign that originally was held horizontally and said "Oz."

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Altered image of Dr. Oz with campaign sign spreads online