Did you see the Hollywood sign burning?

The news coming out of Los Angeles over the last couple of weeks has been devastating. As journalists from all over the world continue to work to keep people informed, our news feeds have been filled with stories of loss, hope, and unfortunately, misinformation too. The image above is just one of a few making its way around the internet.

Here’s the thing - it’s not real!

AI’s capabilities are growing, including its ability to generate increasingly realistic photos. It’s worth paying attention to as we strive to discern what we see and repost online. The good news is that there are ways to figure out what’s real and what’s not. Here are two quick and easy methods to try -

1. Try a reverse Google Image search

Popping an image into Google’s reverse search functionality will show you where else it is being used and if these are legitimate, trustworthy sources. Click here for a tutorial.

2.Try fact-checking by asking Google

As we’ve done below, a quick search of ‘Did the Hollywood sign burn in the 2025 LA fires’ resulted in articles from verifiable news sources that revealed the images were, in fact, fake.

Stephanie Soh Lavemaau | Brand and Digital Manager