Fact Check: Fabricated audio makes CNN ground footage of Israel-Hamas war look fake

Hyderabad: A video of the American news organisation CNN’s ground report team taking cover to escape gunfire near the Israel-Gaza border is viral on social media. Those sharing the video claim that the news organisation is faking an attack by Hamas in Israel.

The video has audio from a person off-camera instructing the media team, making it look like the media team is pretending to be under fire.

A Facebook user shared the video with the caption, “How fake news is made. CNN forgets that it is on air, and the director instructs the correspondent and cameraman to pretend to be under Hamas rocket attack and says to the correspondent to ‘look around in a way that shows that you are terrified by the bombing.’ Facebook fact-checkers will be claiming its edited. (sic)”

An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the video claiming the same.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the video had been manipulated by adding external audio.

We looked for the video on CNN’s YouTube channel and found the extended and original version published on October 9, 2023. We did not find the audio of the person giving the instructions in this version.

“CNN Busted FAKING Attack In Israel For The Camera!” read the post’s caption.

In the comment section, we found that the handle accused the CNN team of acting but clarified that the voice-over (audio) was not real.

Another X premium user shared the video with the caption, “BREAKING: Leaked Audio Revealed On CNN’s Fake News Clip. (sic)” Replying to a user in the comment section, the handle wrote, “That was the line I threw it to make it obvious it was a meme, didn’t quite work though lol.”

We also came across a report by the New York Post titled ‘CNN blasts ‘fabricated’ viral video claiming Clarissa Ward’s Israel reporting was staged.’

A CNN spokesperson speaking to the New York Post said, “The audio in the video posted and shared on X is fabricated, inaccurate and irresponsibly distorts the reality of the moment that was covered live on CNN, which people should watch in full for themselves on a trusted platform.”

Hence, we conclude that an external voice-over has been added to the viral clip to distort it. Hence, the claim of the CNN team faking an attack near the Israel-Gaza border is misleading.