The CNN Tweet on ‘Leaked Chinese Geopolitical Strategy’ Is Fake

Khadija Boufous

News

10th June 2022

The CNN Tweet on ‘Leaked Chinese Geopolitical Strategy’ Is Fake

The photo is fabricated (Twitter).

The Claim

CNN has reported on a leaked Chinese geopolitical strategy document that predicted the West’s collapse.

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Sean Pearce

Emerging story

Twitter and Facebook users have recently circulated an image purporting to show a screenshot of a CNN (@CNN) official Twitter account’s tweet posted on June 2, 2022. The alleged screenshot claims CNN reported on a leaked Chinese geopolitical strategy document that predicts the collapse of the west.

The alleged tweet reads: “A leaked Chinese geopolitical document reveals China’s self-confidence. The document predicts, ‘The U.S. and Western Europe will collapse due to cultural and demographic conflict by 2050.’ China’s leaders increasingly see multiculturalism as ‘cultural suicide’ and believe the west is dying because of it.”

A supporting image within the article body

Misbar’s Analysis

Misbar has investigated the circulating claim and found it to be fake. The screenshot is fabricated. CNN did not tweet about a “leaked Chinese geopolitical strategy document.”

Fake CNN Tweet

Misbar’s team ran an advanced search on the CNN’s Twitter account. The process did not reveal a similar tweet or reporting on the alleged “leaked geopolitical strategy document.”

Misbar’s team also conducted a Google Advanced Search using the keywords: “CNN,” “China,” “geopolitical strategy,” and “leaked document.” We did not find any similar tweet or reporting related to the claim. We did the same on the CNN website, but the process yielded no results.

Fabricated Photos Shared as Official Tweets

Our team has already debunked several screenshots claiming to be taken from official media institutions’ Twitter accounts. And we recently worked on an image purporting to be a screenshot of a CNN headline on Johnny Depp and Kyle Rittenhouse’s intention to organize a “national tour,” which was a fake headline.

We often spot fake screenshots of tweets and headlines by observing visual materials and grammar mistakes. Limited knowledge of the photo editing software always affects the manipulation of the media institution’s logo, colors, writing styles, and causes a low-quality image or screenshot.

The fabricated screenshots may also contain altered or misleading images related or unrelated to the story. Investigating the image’s source, original caption, and context can help debunk the claim.