The US Presidential Election is over, the votes have been counted and Democrat nominee Joe Biden has been declared the winner. However, the scene this time is quite different with Trump refusing to concede defeat, which has seen new pieces of information making headlines every now and then, with some being completely false.
The latest to do the rounds on Monday was that CNN allegedly reported that former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney would be advising Biden on foreign policy in the coming days. Social media users immediately picked up the news and started questioning its authenticity. However, there is no such information although the social media is still abuzz with this piece of news.
What's the Fuss?
On Nov 8, a piece of information claiming that CNN has reported that Dick Cheney would be advising Biden on foreign policy started doing the rounds. The tweet was first posted by a pro-Trump account unaffiliated with any news organization or the Biden campaign. "CNN says Dick Cheney will be advising Biden on foreign policy," tweeted Wahid, who goes with the handle @WahidSakaKhan.
The tweet claimed that Cheney would be part of Biden's cabinet and play the role of an advisor to him. The indeed was big enough to create ripples. It was just a day after Biden was announced the winner. People immediately took to Twitter to verify the authenticity of the news.
"Is this confirmed anywhere besides this rando's tweet? like, say, with a CNN link?" wrote another user. However, many also started raising doubts about the authenticity of the news.
No, It's Not True
Although Twitter remained abuzz with the piece of information, no other media outlet reported any report on similar lines. Despite the end of the election, hoaxes have failed to flood social media, as the President and his supporters refuse to accept the legitimacy of the democratic process.
It's quite strange how Cheney's name cropped up. Cheney had served as the Vice President from 2001 to 2009. It is quite unlikely that Biden will have him on board. Moreover, Biden's cabinet is far from being formed and speculation is rife as who all will make it to the final list.
An extensive search of CNN's website too could validate the piece of information. Finally a spokesperson from the media outlet said that the news was completely false and it didn't report anything of that sort. "That is a false tweet. We did not report that information," a spokesperson for CNN confirmed.
