FACT CHECK: Did CNN Lie About The First American Being Killed In The War Between Ukraine And Russia?

Hannah Hudnall | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on Facebook claims cable network CNN has repeatedly lied about the same man being killed in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Verdict: False

These tweets were shared by fake CNN Twitter accounts. The tweet features a picture of YouTube streamer Jordie Jordan.

Fact Check:

Ukraine’s Ministry of the Interior declared Feb. 27 that 352 civilians had been killed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to CNN. Approximately 1,684 people, including 116 children, have also been injured during the invasion, the outlet reports.

A Facebook post being shared features two screengrabs side-by-side, appearing to show two different CNN Twitter accounts announcing the death of a man named “Bernie Gores.” The two posts share the same image of a man smiling at the camera standing in front of a building.

The first post was shared on Aug. 16, 2021 by @CNNAfghan and claims the man was a journalist who was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan by the Taliban. The second post, shared on Feb. 23, 2022 by @CNNUKR, claims the man pictured is the “first American casualty of the Ukraine crisis.”

“How many times is this man going to ‘die?'” reads text included in the image. (RELATED: Did CNN Air This Chyron About Putin Waiting To Invade Ukraine Until Biden Sends Weapons ‘For Russia To Capture’?)

The two featured accounts are not official CNN accounts and have both been suspended by Twitter. While CNN has various Twitter accounts, all are verified by Twitter with a blue checkmark. Neither of CNN’s two most-followed Twitter accounts nor its website have posted any reports about Americans being killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A reverse image search revealed the man pictured in these posts is a YouTube streamer named Jordie Jordan. None of Jordan’s videos on his page make any reference to Afghanistan or Russia. Likewise, Jordan’s Twitter account, which has been dormant since 2015, lists no such tweets from either country.

Check Your Fact previously debunked the CNN Afghanistan tweet depicting Jordan in August 2021.

Hannah Hudnall

Fact Check Reporter

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