The fake war photographer

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On the face of it, Eduardo Martins had an inspiring and seemingly legitimate story. He seemed to be a young, conscientious photographer working in conflict zones who found success after overcoming hardship. His images were used on a number of reputable news sites, and his Instagram following reached into the tens of thousands. There is, though, one big problem with this story: it’s a total fabrication. A BBC Brasil investigation has exposed Eduardo Martins as a fake identity. Martins – whoever he really is – took another man’s self-portraits and passed them off as his own, and stole the work of a real war photographer. In this edition of the programme, Trending talks to BBC Brasil’s Silvia Salek and meets the people behind this extraordinary tale. Also on the programme, how pro-Russian twitter bots are being used to harass and intimidate journalists and researchers in an attempt to discourage them from covering stories. Presenter: Megha Mohan Producer: Will Yates (Photo: Some of the images that Eduardo Martin used to bolster his Instagram following. Credit: Max Hepworth-Povey/BBC)