A fabricated CBS News screenshot has been circulating online showing a headline claiming that the world is “run by the super-rich.” No such headline was published by the news outlet, however.
The CBS logo is viewable across the top of the screenshot, with the report listed as being published on Jan. 16 via the Associated Press (AP).
The purported headline reads: “As the super-rich gather in Davos, online conspiracy theorists make bizarre claim that the world is run by the super-rich.”
The headline circulated while global leaders and business executives attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting held in Davos, Switzerland from Jan 16 to Jan 20 (here).
Examples of the altered headline can be viewed (here) and (here).
A search through CBS News’ website did not reveal the aforementioned report and instead, revealed an article published on the same date and time that reads: “As elites gather in Davos, conspiracy theories gain traction online” (here).
Archived versions of the report saved on Jan 16 and Jan 17 also did not reveal the headline circulating on social media, suggesting the headline wasn’t updated or changed since publishing (here), (here).
A Twitter advanced search via CBS News’ Twitter account did not reveal any post with the fabricated headline (archive.is/wip/oxQf8).
A spokesperson for CBS News did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.
The article was originally published by the AP on Jan 16 with the headline, “As elites arrive in Davos, conspiracy theories thrive online” and republished by CBS News (here).
A search via the AP website did not reveal the fabricated headline (archive.is/wip/vf7ju).
A spokesperson for the Associated Press provided a link to the authentic report and told Reuters that no changes had been made to the article after publication (here).
A Google advanced search revealed that the fabricated headline was shared via meme site such as iFunny suggesting it may have created satirically (archive.is/wip/LbFq2).
VERDICT
Altered. The report was originally published via the AP and republished by CBS News. The unaltered headline reported on conspiracy theories gaining traction during the WEF conference in Davos.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.