Polls weren’t even open yet in some parts of the country before Election Day hoaxes started taking off online.
One fake video that’s getting circulation on both Facebook and Twitter today purports to show CNN anchor Don Lemon laughing as Democrats burn flags in a celebration of the “blue wave.”
Twitter pulled the video from its site around 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, although it’s still on Facebook.
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The video, which claims to be a scene from CNN’s “Reliable Sources” comes complete with a CNN-style chyron: “Dems celebrate ‘Blue Wave’ Burning Flags on Election Day.” The original version of the video has was viewed nearly 55,000 views on Twitter since being posted Monday, with the tweet promoting it retweeted nearly 5,000 times.
The video is obviously fake, with the “CNN broadcast” actually consisting of unrelated footage of Lemon put next to footage of protesters burning flags. Even the show listed in the clip is wrong, since Lemon hosts “CNN Tonight,” not “Reliable Sources.”
The video appears to have been first posted by Twitter user “@RealDanJordan,” who said it was a reason to vote for Republican candidates.
“Do not give these people the satisfaction of a win on Tuesday,” the tweet reads. “Vote #Republican. Help @POTUS wipe the smile off the faces of these globalist elites.”
Facebook and Twitter have struggled to fight election misinformation after hoaxes spread widely on their platforms in the 2016 election, with Facebook creating a much-hyped election “war room” meant to combat the spread of misinformation.
