In late June 2025, an X account shared a photo (archived) purportedly showing a weather map depicting Germany covered in lava on the German news program "Tagesthemen." The photo, which had amassed more than 540,000 views as of this writing, was shared elsewhere on X and on Reddit.
The image was posted to social media amid a heat wave
The original post with the photo of the lava-covered weather map included the following caption: "Jeeeeezus, if you think the climate propaganda is strong in the UK… Check out the fiery inferno hell shown on German TV. Climate Change is a scam."
(X user @wolsned)
However, the image had been edited. The weather map in the original "Tagesthemen" broadcast did not overlay a lava graphic on its weather map.
Based on the identical temperatures on the map and the clothing worn by the weather presenter, the image appeared to be an edited version of a June 28, 2025, broadcast, seen at roughly the 18:13 time-stamp in the YouTube upload of the show. No lava appears on the weather map at this or any other point in the program.
(Left: The real broadcast. Right: The fake image. Tagesthemen / X user: @wolsned)
One social media user replied to the author of the original X post containing the fake image to say that their version "is obviously fake." In response, the original X user wrote (archived): "It is called satire, obviously way over your head."
This was not the first time a weather map from a "Tagesthemen" broadcast was edited and posted to X to accuse the program of "climate propaganda." In 2023, another X user shared a picture from the program's weather coverage showing a fire animation edited onto a weather map from a June 8, 2023, broadcast.
In 2022, Snopes also investigated a similar claim regarding the news program's sister show "Tagesschau."