Fake footage simulating CNN coverage goes viral amid Ukraine war

While CNN works to debunk disinformation about the war in Ukraine, some social media accounts are working to spread disinformation about CNN International’s own coverage of the war.

A series of fake screenshots – purportedly depicting reports from CNN International, but which are actually fabrications – spread widely across social media platforms in the past week.

One such fake, a screenshot of a non-existent CNN report on actor Steven Seagal being spotted in Ukraine, was shared and deleted by Joe Rogan of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Monday.

A second message was posted by a fake Twitter account that falsely claimed to be affiliated with CNN International. This forgery, of a non-existent CNN report on an American being killed in Ukraine, was shared on Monday by a Russian representative at the United Nations.

A third fake was a digitally altered screenshot that inserted fake text about India and the war in Ukraine into an unrelated television segment of CNN International, 2019.

Fake post about Steven Seagal

A fake image appears to be a screenshot of a CNN International social media post about Steven Seagal being seen with the Russian military in Ukraine.

The fake image shows a photo of Seagal — a Michigan-born action movie star who received Russian citizenship in 2016 and is known as an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin — wearing a military uniform and carrying a gun.

The text of the fake “CNN International” post reads: “Intelligence agencies around the world have located American actor Steven Seagal among Russian special forces stationed on the outskirts of Gostomel airfield near Kiev, captured by Russian airborne troops.”

facts first: The image with Seagal is fabricated. CNN International has never reported anything like this. The photo of Seagal armed and in uniform is from a movie called “Cartels”, released in 2017, not the war in Ukraine.

There are no indications that Seagal, who is 69 years old, was involved in the war. He told Fox on Monday that he sees Ukraine and Russia as “one family”, blames external “propaganda” for provoking hostility between the countries and wants “a positive and peaceful resolution where we can live and prosper together in peace”. .

Rogan, who has been criticized for amplifying misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic, deleted his Monday posts with Seagal’s fake screenshot. He then wrote on Facebook and Instagram: “I deleted my previous post about Steven Seagal being in Ukraine because it was a parody, which is not surprising, but honestly it wouldn’t be surprising if it were true either.” (He pointed to a 2017 Washington Post article that reported that Seagal had been banned from Ukraine for five years as an alleged security threat.)

Seagal’s false image has been previously debunked by various media outlets, including PolitiFact and Mediaite.

Fake tweets about an American being killed

In a tweet on Monday, a Russian UN official, First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy, criticized the mainstream media for alleged “lies and forgeries”. The alleged evidence that Polyanskiy pointed to, however, was false – two fake tweets from accounts posing as CNN International.

The first tweet, an August post from an account calling itself “CNN Afghanistan,” said that a journalist named Bernie Gores had been executed by the Taliban in Kabul. The second tweet, a Feb 23 post from an account calling itself “CNN Ukraine,” said an activist named Bernie Gores was the “first American casualty of the Ukraine crisis,” having been killed by a “mine planted by separatists.” supported by Russia”.

Both tweets used the same “Bernie Gores” photo. Several social media users were tricked by the fake accounts and criticized or mocked CNN International for allegedly reporting that the same man died in two different wars.

facts first: Both tweets about a “Bernie Gores” being killed are fabrications not connected to CNN International. The “CNN Ukraine” and “CNN Afghanistan” accounts behind the tweets are both fake and have been suspended by Twitter for violating its policy against impersonation. The “Bernie Gores” photo used in both tweets is actually a photo of a gaming personality not named Bernie Gores. Trolls have repeatedly circulated the man’s photo during global crises.

Reuters debunked the fake “CNN Afghanistan” tweet about “Bernie Gores” in August. But the tweet took on new life in February when the fake “CNN Ukraine” tweet was posted.

FactCheck.org, which debunked the last post about “Bernie Gores” on Sunday, reported that the “CNN Ukraine” account was created in February this year and had just 129 followers. But that didn’t stop his “Bernie Gores” tweet from being captured and shared by many others.

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