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FACT BRIEF

Was a CNN reporter from the US named Bernie Gores executed by the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan?

By Christiana Dillard
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NO

"Bernie Gores" is not a real CNN reporter, and the Twitter accounts that propagated the false claim are all fake news accounts.

The claim originally appeared in tweets published on August 16, 2021, from three subsequently suspended Twitter accounts. The tweets continued to spread on Twitter and Facebook through individual posts and shares after the originating accounts were suspended.

According to CNN's list of anchors, reporters and staff, there was no journalist at CNN named "Bernie Gores" when the posts appeared.

Lead Stories determined that the picture of a smiling man in tweets and Facebook posts about "Bernie Gores" was a photo of video game streamer Jordie Jordan.

Jordan's image was used in another false claim in August 2020 that stated that he was a missing person, again named Bernie Gores, who was possibly killed in a Beirut, Lebanon, explosion.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
CNN CNN Anchors, Reporters and Staff
Wikitubia Jordie Jordan
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.