Fact check: Viral post shows fabricated CNN story about a moth and an ATF search warrant
The claim: Image shows CNN headline about a moth hurt in an ATF raid
From fabricated screenshots of website articles to bogus photos of TV news segments, phony headlines are a common way misinformation is spread online.
An Aug. 24 Facebook post shows a purported CNN headline about a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives house search that left a moth dead. The post accrued 80 shares in two weeks.
"ATF agent squashed a pet Atlas Moth at the house of a man with no active warrants," the supposed story reads, attributing the text of the article to Reuters.
Some Facebook users seemed to believe the headline was real.
"Who cares about the bug that’s only going to live a week…why were they raiding an innocent guy’s house?" one Facebook user commented.
But the image does not show a real headline, a spokesperson for CNN said, and Reuters never produced the story, according to the news organization.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment.
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Image is altered
The image in the social media post does not show a real headline, and CNN never published or broadcast such a story, Emily Kuhn, a spokesperson for CNN said.
In an Aug. 29 fact check article, Reuters also said the organization produced no such story.
The story was not published on CNN's website and does not appear on CNN's Twitter account. It was also not published on Reuters' website and does not appear on Reuters' Twitter account.
The two images in the post were pulled from elsewhere online.
The image of the moth can be found at breedingbutterflies.com, a website that publishes information about moths and butterflies.
The photo of the ATF agents matches an unattributed photo of law enforcement used in an ACLU of New York article published in March 2021.
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Our rating: Altered
Based on our research, we rate ALTERED an image that claims to show a CNN headline about a moth hurt in an ATF raid. A spokesperson for CNN said the outlet published no such story. Reuters also published a fact check noting the organization had no role in a story on this topic.
Our fact-check sources:
CNN, accessed Aug. 31, Homepage
CNN, accessed Aug. 31, Twitter profile
Reuters, accessed Aug. 31, Homepage
Reuters, accessed Aug. 31, Twitter profile
Emily Kuhn, Sept. 1, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Reuters, Aug. 29, Fact Check-Fabricated CNN headline claims ATF agent killed pet moth when searching house without a warrant
USA TODAY, Aug. 8, Fact check: Altered image shows fabricated magazine headline about monkeypox stigma
USA TODAY, Aug. 8, Fact check: Social media post shows fabricated story about Biden and the economy
NYCLU ACLU of New York, March 8, 2021, A botched raid put an innocent NY man in a hospital. 10 years later, he's waiting for justice
Breedingbutterflies.com, accessed Sept. 16, About Me + FAQ
Breedingbutterflies.com, accessed Sept. 16, Attacus Atlas — “Atlas Moth”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Image shows fabricated CNN story about ATF search warrant