And look who’s getting his news from Reddit and spreading it as Truth?
CLAIM: A screenshot shows a CNN chyron reading: “Sources: Putin to delay invasion until Biden delivers weapons to Ukraine for Russia to capture.”
AP’S ASSESSMENT: Altered image. The text was added to a screenshot of a CNN news report from 2017. A CNN spokesperson confirmed the image was altered to add the fake chyron.
THE FACTS: Amid tensions over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, social media users are sharing a screenshot of a CNN news report with a fabricated chyron.
The altered screenshot shows CNN anchor Kate Bolduan alongside an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The chyron reads, “Sources: Putin to delay invasion until Biden delivers weapons to Ukraine for Russia to capture.”
“Actual CNN headline,” reads one post with over 22,000 likes on Twitter. While some users noted that the caption was a joke, and some weren’t sure if it was real, others shared it as an authentic CNN story.
It’s not clear where the doctored image first emerged, but a reverse image search shows it has been circulating on Reddit and other message boards for several days.
However the screenshot was altered and the caption was “completely fabricated,” Sydney Baldwin, a senior publicist at CNN, confirmed to The Associated Press in an email.
A clip of the original broadcast was posted on YouTube by CNN in March 2017. The segment, from “At This Hour with Kate Bolduan,” was discussing allegations of Russia’s interference in U.S. elections. The original chyron reads: “Putin: ‘Read my lips: no’, we didn’t interfere in election.” (more)
