Viral Rumor Rundown

Fake CNBC headline falsely states that Justice Sonia Sotomayor has COVID-19

Peter Adams -

A doctored screenshot of a CNBC news report spread the false claim that Justice Sonia Sotomayor tested positive for COVID-19, despite taking precautions. But that’s not true. Let’s take a look at the facts.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor did not test positive for COVID-19.
Musician Ted Nugent posted a screenshot on Facebook of a CNBC report that includes a digitally fabricated headline.
An NBC spokesperson confirmed to the News Literacy Project that “CNBC.com has not published an article with that headline.”
CNBC did publish a report (archived here) by Kevin Breuninger at 10:55 a.m. EST on Jan. 18, but the headline was “Supreme Court’s Gorsuch refused to wear mask despite request over Sotomayor’s Covid concerns, report says.”

NewsLit takeaway

Screenshots of news reports or other webpages should always be viewed with skepticism, especially when they are presented without a direct link to the story as “evidence” for a controversial or sensational claim. It’s also important to consider the reputation of the source of such claims. Ted Nugent has a history of making outrageous, hyperpartisan statements, including many that are false. He also has previously shared misinformation online (and has become a target of false claims himself). This post is a good reminder of how easy it is to change text in digital images with simple editing tools.

Related: “NPR reporting on Supreme Court mask controversy merits clarification” (Kelly McBride, NPR).

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