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FACT BRIEF

Was a digital billboard in Wilmington, N.C., hacked to feature unflattering memes of President Joe Biden?

By Christiana Dillard
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NO

According to Donald Tedder, owner of the digital billboard, the billboard was not hacked -- the memes were provided by a "private citizen."

The striking images drew the attention of dirvers and local media, with one report describing a picture on the billboard as the "bizarre image of President Joe Biden eating an ice cream cone superimposed over a photo of the embassy in Afghanistan being evacuated by helicoper."

Another image on the billboard showed Biden peeking through blinds.

Social media users quickly responded with posts showing the images, and with speculation as to who was responsible.

Some speculated that Tedder, president of a local media company, was behind the memes. But speaking to Lead Stories, Tedder would only verify that the billboard memes were there by intent, and that "a private citizen" was responsible.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
WECT (Wilmington, NC) Amid Afghanistan fallout, Wilmington billboard depicts President Biden eating ice cream
AP Images Afghanistan
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.