CNN headline claiming Democrats need Covid vaccine to vote is fake
A screenshot of what appears to be a CNN article claiming US presidential candidate Kamala Harris has told members of her party they need to have an “updated” Covid-19 vaccine before voting in the presidential election is fake.
The image circulating on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), includes the CNN logo and appears to come from the CNN website.
It features an image of the democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and the headline: “BREAKING: Kamala to require all democrats to take the updated covid shot in order to vote in November” [sic].
A caption below the image of Ms Harris, visible on some of the versions of the post, also says: “The FDA has approved the updated covid shot after trial on six mice showed myocarditis which means the shots are effective and safe.”
The screenshot includes a date, stating it was published on August 27, 2024.
But this is not a real article or headline that was ever published by CNN.
Emily Kuhn, senior vice president of communications at CNN, told Full Fact via email: “It is a fabricated image and not something CNN ever reported.”
A search for this headline or similar reporting about Covid-19 vaccination requirements for Democrats on the CNN website produces no results from 27 August (when it was allegedly published).
We also could find no mention of any policy like this anywhere on the Democratic Party website.
The US Food and Drug Administration did approve updated vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna to tackle new strains of Covid-19 in August, ahead of autumn and winter vaccination programmes, but these are not mandatory.
Faked headlines and news articles are a common type of misinformation that we see circulating online, and we have previously fact checked fabricated articles about Labour MP Ed Miliband, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Before sharing an image online it’s important to consider whether it really shows what it claims to. Our guide to identifying misleading images can help you do this.
