Al Jazeera pokes fun at conspiracy theories in eyebrow-raising video

HAVE you heard the one about football star Lionel Messi being an international spy? No? Well, what about the one which claims the Syrian war was staged?

HAVE you heard the one about football star Lionel Messi being an international spy?

No?

Well, what about the one which claims the Syrian war was actually staged?

These are among the rumours circulating online for months about broadcaster Al Jazeera and its activities.

But perhaps even more surprising than some of the rumours has been the response from the Doha-based media outlet.

Rather than outrage, Al Jazeera has responded by producing a satirical video.

From claims that Messi was bribed to send messages to rebel fighters with his on-field movements to the hilarious rumour it has a ‘fabrication room’, the video sums up the best of the rumours.

A statement released by Al Jazeera said it decided to finally make light of the rumours and stories surrounding its brand, after “months of false reports circulating on regional and social media”.

Real, fake, exaggerated or anything otherwise, here are some of just three of the funniest rumours.

Lionel Messi shown in the video with dubbed subtitles. Picture: Screengrab/Al Jazeera

1. Lionel Messi was a spy.

Apparently, at least according to one theory, the star footballer communicated his on-field moves to rebel fighters.

In the video, the subtitles reveal: “Al Jazeera persuaded me.

“I met with their management and they convinced me by giving me new shoes and offering a lot of money.”

The subtitles go on to say he was given certain tactics to follow on the field that matched the tactics of Syrian fighters.

In 2012, pro-government Syrian television channel Addounia TV claimed his moves secretly indicated arms smuggling routes from Syria to Lebanon.

The station superimposed a map of Syria on a screen to show how Messi and his teammates, who represent smugglers kick the ball which represented a weapons shipment, Spy Ghana reported.

The video which shows Messi's words dubbed with this claim. Picture: Screengrab/Al Jazeera

2. The Syrian Revolution was made in Al Jazeera

According to another rumour, the broadcaster made miniature structures of Syrian cities and squares to make it appear as if it was there.

Oh, and it also apparently staged clashes between the Syrian army and rebels too.

According to an article in the Syrian Free Press last year, the network were clearly agenda setting and Al Jazeera reporters were also told what information to release and alter regarding the war.

Some have claimed the Syrian war has been staged.

3. The secret black room

Based in the broadcast headquarters, it apparently has a secret black room where not only are stories fabricated but a team is dedicated to “fabrication training”.

In 2011, Syrian anchorwoman Luba Al Shibl caused a storm of controversy when she resigned from Al Jazeera criticising its non-credibility.

She accused it of fabricating news about Syria with the intention of overthrowing Al Assad’s regime and mentioned the black room where stories were fabricated to serve certain political processes, msn Arabia reported.

A file photo of the newsroom at the headquarters of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera, which rose to prominence after being the only TV channel to broadcast the war in Afghanistan in 2001, has faced claims in recent times of bias and creating false news.

The broadcaster attracted international headlines when three of its journalists, including Australian Peter Greste, were jailed in Egypt for between seven and 10 years.

Greste, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed were convicted in June of aiding the black-listed Muslim Brotherhood and spreading false news that portrayed Egypt as being in a state of “civil war”.

Al Jazeera said there “flaws in the arrest procedure” as well as “the fact that evidence presented in the Egyptian court did not marry with the charges”.

Al Jazeera, which has been praised for its coverage of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011, has also been accused by many Egyptians for being a mouthpiece for the Muslim brotherhood and also the Qatar government, The Conversation reported.

Since Mohamed Morsi was booted from power in 2013 and following its journalists arrests in December last year, the rift between Egypt and Qatar deepened even further.

How Al Jazeera respond to a fake Facebook post

More recently, Al Jazeera has also been the subject of a fake screen shot featuring a famous Bollywood film, which circulated on social media for a number of weeks, but has made light of this via comments on its Facebook page.

Al-Jazeera's award-winning Australian correspondent Peter Greste remains in an Egyptian prison.

Originally published as Al Jazeera pokes fun at conspiracy theories in eyebrow-raising video