Rayan, a five-year-old boy, trapped in a 32-meter-deep well in Chefchaouen, northern Morocco, is being rescued by Moroccan divers Tuesday evening. After numerous failed attempts to descend the narrow well, bulldozers, rescue services, Civil Protection, and auxiliary forces are still attempting to save the little boy. The only way for rescuers to avoid landslides was to work on drilling delicately on the operation.
The drilling operations took days and were repeatedly halted to take the necessary precautions and identify all risks that the digging could cause, particularly the collapse of soil and rocks inside the well. According to local authorities, the digging becomes more difficult and varies in-depth due to different soil components.
Many users worldwide have expressed their compassion and support for Rayan by using the #SaveRayane hashtag, which has gone viral since the first day of this incident. A video circulated on the internet showing the boy with minor head injuries, sparking a debate about sharing such images, especially in such a situation. Activists and institutions see it as a violation of journalistic ethics.
Meanwhile, social media users have shared numerous videos and images purporting to show the ongoing rescue mission for Rayan, a five-year-old boy. However, it was discovered that they were old and depicted other rescue operations in other countries. Despite the fact that many websites and media outlets are broadcasting live videos, many fake stories are circulating.
Our team has debunked two pictures; the first one was posted claiming it shows Moroccan divers working to free 5-year-old Rayane. The second alleges it depicts Rayane returning to his family after saving his life.
As the rescue operations got closer to saving Rayan, other pictures and videos went viral on social media platforms, including a video claiming Rayan had been saved and lifted out of the well.
Description: The video claims Rayan was pulled from the well on February 4, 2022.
The video is from a rescue mission for a kid with disabilities after he was trapped in a 35 meter deep well near Taza in Iraq. The video was already posted to social media in December 2021.
Other posts referred to a picture of three divers claiming it shows the Moroccan rescuers getting closer to saving Rayan.
Description: Users claim the picture depicts the drilling operation to rescue Rayan.
Using Google Image Reverse Search, it turned out that the image is a screenshot from a video of Syrian Civil Defence troops trying to save a 10-years old child after he fell in a well in Idlib, but he died after 55 hours of trying to rescue him. The video was uploaded to Youtube in March 2021.
Description: The video was uploaded in March 2021.
After many social media users and websites said that Rayan did eat, an official has mentioned in a press statement that the kid did not eat any food, contrary to what is circulating online. He added that the hopes of getting him alive are still present.
The Moroccan National Press Council (CNP) issued an official report on Friday calling for respect for journalistic ethics during the media coverage of the rescue operations for Rayan. The council noted numerous violations of the Journalism Code of Ethics committed by electronic websites, like filming Rayan in the well with injuries on his face.
The CNP also mentioned that some websites violated the principle of "the right to the image" when they filmed and interviewed minors traumatized while following the incident.
According to the CNP, these violations were to cause sensationalism that can increase the number of views and reactions, especially in a crisis period when media and professionals are required to respect the Journalism Code of Ethics.
Misbar’s Sources:
Morocco World News
Al Jazeera Institute
Misbar
مديرية الدفاع المدني العامة
Syrian Stream
الدفاع المدني السوري
Alghad TV
Hespress
Morocco Late News
CNP
Le Desk
