Several days ago, a tweet by @walid970721 caught my attention containing the lines:

 

 

https://twitter.com/walid970721/status/807536729246703616

 

The video has been shared widely since also with the help of outlets like RT and derivatives such as @IntheNow_tweet

 

https://twitter.com/IntheNow_tweet/status/808748331019091969

 

I admit that it was Eva Bartlett that triggered my attention because she´s quite well known in the Twittersphere for her positive view on “alternative narratives”. This includes voicing support for the regime of Bashar Al Assad.

When I watched the short video it wasn´t so much the general critique of mainstream media but the very specific claims about one of the favourite targets of pro regime voices: The White Helmets. Bartlett said: “you can find a girl named Aya, she turns up in reports say August and she turns up in the next month in two different locations”. This is not a new story at all. It is based on claims like this one shared as a Twitter meme by another well-known pro regime figure – Tim Anderson from Australia:

 

 

This meme has been widely shared (Tim Anderson also tweeted directly at Eva Bartlett´s old Twitter account @EvaBartlettGaza, a hint that this is her source indeed). It appears to be one of the most prominent pieces of anti White Helmets “evidence”.

But what´s the deal with Aya and her “recycling”?

Aya is a girl from Talbiseh apparently, Homs, that has been rescued there on October 12^th 2016. The White Helmets seem not to have been involved in this incident.

 

 

So where is the assumption coming from that she was rescued elsewhere too? When you look at the mentioned Twitter meme by Tim Anderson, a detail may catch your eye: all girls are wearing azure coloured tops. Other than that nothing leads to the conclusion there´s any connection between the girl, the tops are also totally different regarding the sleeves or any other other features.

Let´s turn to the other incidents shown: the August 27^th rescue happened in Aleppo´s Maahdi district reportedly:

 

 

 

 

http://time.com/4483736/presidential-candidate-gary-johnson-should-know-about-aleppo/

Other than the azur colored tops of the two girls it´s hard to see any connection between them. And there´s the third “azur girl”. Footage shows here very dramatic rescue in Aleppo in September this year:

 http://abcnews.go.com/International/video/young-girl-pulled-rubble-aleppo-42310314

 

 

 

According to different accounts her name appears to be Rawan, she´s 5 years old. Again it´s hard to see how she is connected to one or both of the girls mentioned above - besides the fact that they all appear on Tim Anderson´s collage.

So what did Eva Bartlett do here? As a journalist she claimed to be – especially in her role of superiority over “main stream media” people – she should have fact checked the claims she made. You don´t need to be an investigative journalist to reveal the story she told was a hoax.

 

[edited: White Helmets NOT involved in Aya´s rescue, included Tim Anderson´s tweet to show he mentioned Eva Bartlett, name for the 2nd Aleppo girl added]