FACT CHECK: Did The New York Times Publish This Headline About Moroccan Football Fans?

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

An image shared on Facebook purports The New York Times published a headline about Moroccan football fans.

Verdict: False

The image is digitally fabricated. A spokesperson for The New York Times denied the outlet had published the headline in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

The Moroccan National Football Team became the first team from an African country to make it to the World Cup semi-final following their 1-0 win over Portugal Dec. 10, CNN reported. The team will play France in a semi-final match Dec. 13, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The Facebook post purports The New York Times published an article about Moroccan football fans titled, “Famine appears on the faces of Moroccans.”

“New York Times America’s largest and most prestigious newspaper Writing a headline for her newspaper Hunger started on the faces of Moroccan fans,” the post’s caption reads.

The image is digitally fabricated. There are no credible news reports suggesting The New York Times published the purported headline. Likewise, a search of the outlet’s website and verified social media accounts does not generate the supposed article. The Morocco National Football Team also has not publicly commented on the purported claim via its website or verified Twitter and Instagram accounts.

“This text was not written or published by The New York Times,” Naseem Amini, a spokesperson for the outlet, told Check Your Fact in an email.

Check Your Fact has also contacted the Royal Moroccan Football Federation for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received. (RELATED: Did The New York Times Publish This Cover Following The Club Q Shooting?)

This is not the first time a social media post with a digitally fabricated headline has circulated. Check Your Fact previously debunked a post purporting The New York Times published a headline about former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried “accidentally” eating 3,000 shrimp.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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