Satire site feeds false claim that CNN decried Elon Musk on free speech
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on April 29, 2022 at 22:36
- 1 min read
- By Claire SAVAGE, AFP USA
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An April 28, 2022 Facebook post shared in a public group with 54,000 members features an image of an alleged CNN newscast with a chyron that says: "Elon Musk could threaten free speech on Twitter by allowing people to speak freely."
A self-described "free speech absolutist," the richest man in the world reached a $44 billion deal on April 25 to take over Twitter. The purchase has sparked false claims about Musk's actions on the platform.
Another example of the claim that appeared on Facebook here attributed it to "Genesius Times." A Google search for the name shows it is a satire website that identifies itself as "the most reliable source of fake news on the planet."
An article on the site includes the same image shared in the Facebook posts.
CNN spokesperson Jonathan Hawkins told AFP of the image: "This is very obviously faked. You can see the font is completely wrong and the entire lower third doesn't line up correctly with the logo."
Hawkins shared a photo of a real CNN newscast for comparison, included below.
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