A viral screenshot of CNN began doing the rounds on the Internet, claiming that the US news outlet had to issue a correction after saying the Republican senator Ted Cruz wore a QAnon pin that was actually just a Dorito crumb.
The hoax went viral, and even the Texas senator also appeared to enjoy. On Friday, January 15, the doctored image began circulating on Twitter.
"CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated that Sen. Ted Cruz was seen wearing a pin featuring a QAnon symbol. It was later discovered this was not a QAnon pin, but a Doritos snack chip stuck to his suit," the fake image claimed.
No Correction
People who searched for the story on CNN's website failed to find any such report, as there was no story claiming Cruz was seen with a pendant for the controversial theory. Later, many people who shared the doctored image revealed that it was a hoax.
Even CNN'S Head of Strategic Communications Matt Dornic also issued a statement in a tweet while clarifying that no such correction was ever made. While responding to a Tweet he said, "For people who get the joke. But it's an actual alert in news tracking system and we've received inquiries. So no, I don't think fake news is that funny."
Cruz took the whole thing in good spirit and later tweeted the viral image, with a caption declaring his love for Doritos. He wrote, "I do love Doritos."
The QAnon
Among many bizarre conspiracy theories, QAnon is the latest addition. They believe pedophiles are running the government and Congress and that Donald Trump will save the country by sending the culprits to Guantánamo Bay.
During the Capitol Riot, on January 6, hundreds of pro-Trump supporters stormed the building and some of those rioters were found to be QAnon supporters. However, according to reports, two recently elected members of Congress have expressed their support for the conspiracy theory spreading group, but Cruz has never shown any such affiliation.
The senator was criticized for his role in inciting the Capitol riot. Some of the leading newspapers in Texas have also called for his resignation following his involvement in challenging the certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.
However, CNN's doctored image seems to be based on a real correction that the news outlet was actually forced to issue on January 14. The correction was made for another story—"How a swift impeachment was born under siege".
CNN mistakenly wrote that Democratic California Rep Ted Lieu "grabbed a crowbar" during the Capitol riot. But in reality, the US representative grabbed an energy bar called ProBar during the riots. The correction statement reads, "CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated that Rep Ted Lieu grabbed a crowbar before leaving his office. He grabbed a ProBar energy bar."
