Did Melania Trump hold Jimmy Carter's funeral booklet upside-down? Here's the truth

Melania Trump is seen holding the funeral booklet upside down in a manipulated image. An apparent screenshot of NBC News coverage of former President Barack Obama and incoming First Lady Melania Trump holding booklets at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter can be found in a Facebook post from January 9. Donald Trump, the incoming president, is seated in between them.

The image's caption reads, "This is a lovely photo of Obama teaching two illiterates to read." "Melania, you're holding it upside down."


Over 400 people shared the post in just four days. A different Facebook post that featured the same image was shared over 700 times before it was tagged.

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Media manipulation

The picture has been digitally modified. Melania Trump is seen holding the funeral program right-side up in NBC News footage from the event. Melania Trump's photo has been altered to deceive, as quoted in a report by USA Today.

The Washington National Cathedral hosted Carter's state funeral on January 9. Carter was the 39th president of the United States and passed away at the age of 100. Carter's name appears beneath the presidential seal, which is prominently displayed on the front page of a digital copy of the service's program that was posted to the church's website.

What Does the Original Footage Show?

According to the Facebook post, Melania Trump was seen by NBC News holding her booklet upside-down during the service. The picture depicts the presidential seal on what would have been her booklet's back page, with text above the seal instead of being below it.

The video of the service that NBC News posted shows that the image in the post was digitally altered to include the text and upside-down presidential seal on the back page of Melania Trump's funeral program. As can be seen in the video, when the screenshot was taken, her program's back page was blank. Obama held his program similarly to Melania Trump, as the video also demonstrates.

FAQs

Did Melania Trump hold the funeral program upside down?
No, fact-checkers confirmed that the viral image was digitally altered. Melania Trump is seen in the original footage holding the booklet right side up.

Was the viral image authentic?
No, the image was manipulated to mislead viewers, as evidenced by NBC News footage from the event.