Multiple Facebook (FB) posts are claiming that United States (U.S)-based news channel CNN has reported that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is addicted to cocaine. This is fake. CNN has not published such a report and the image is fabricated.
Uploaded as early as Aug. 24, the photo bore the logo of CNN and showed its anchor Anderson Cooper. It also carried a news ticker that read:
“PHILIPPINES FACES UNIQUE CHALLENGE WITH COCAINE-ADDICTED PRESIDENT.”
In an Aug. 26 statement, CNN’s senior vice president for communications Emily Kuhn denied that they have aired such a report:
“That is a fabricated and manipulated image, and not something CNN ever reported.”
Source: AFP Fact Check, Philippine social media users fall for fake CNN report that described president as ‘cocaine addict’, Aug. 27, 2024
Reverse image search showed that Cooper’s photo was originally used as a thumbnail for a Jan. 13 episode of the program Anderson Cooper 360 where the anchor was quizzed on the US National Football League’s team logos.
AFP Fact Check and Rappler have also debunked this claim but copies keep circulating on FB. Among those that posted the fabricated report were accounts and pages supporting former president Rodrigo Duterte, including that of former broadcaster Jay Sonza.
In July, Duterte’s supporters released a video allegedly showing Marcos sniffing cocaine.
The National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group have denied that Marcos is the person shown in the video, citing differences with Marcos’ and the man’s facial features.
Prior to this, Duterte accused Marcos of being a drug addict. Marcos refused to answer Duterte’s accusations but fired back at his predecessor, saying his alleged use of the opioid fentanyl might have triggered his verbal tirades at him.
Uploaded by FB accounts BantayPilipinas-PHILIPPINES, Jay Sonza and another FB user, the photo has received over 6,630 interactions.
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(Editor's Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
