A CNN headline shows Uganda’s president saying he doesn’t support Ukraine because it would be “disgusting.”
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CNN didn't report that Uganda's president said it would be 'disgusting' to support Ukraine
Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, came out as an early supporter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, tweeting in February that the "majority of mankind (that are non-white) support Russia’s stand in Ukraine."
In March, Uganda was among 17 African countries that abstained from voting on a United Nations resolution condemning the invasion. In July, Museveni said he didn’t see a reason to criticize Russia over the war and celebrated the Russian-Ugandan relationship during a diplomatic meeting in Uganda.
But we found no evidence that CNN ran a photo of Museveni with a headline that said "Of course I DO NOT support Ukraine, that would be ‘disgusting.’"
An Instagram post sharing what looks like a screenshot of such a headline was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Matt Dornic, a spokesperson for CNN, told PolitiFact that the image in the Instagram post isn’t an image of a real CNN story. "It is fake," Dornic said.
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We also didn’t find it on CNN’s website.
The post appears to be an altered screenshot of a 2014 story on CNN’s website. The story features a paused video of Museveni in which he appears wearing the same outfit and in front of the same background as the image of him in the Instagram post.
The headline of this story: "Uganda president: ‘Homosexuals are ‘disgusting.’"
At the time, Museveni was talking to CNN about anti-homosexuality laws in Uganda.
We found no credible news reports or other sources documenting Museveni as saying it would be disgusting to support Ukraine.
We rate that claim False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Oct. 22, 2022
The New York Times, Shunned by Others, Russia Finds Friends in Africa, March 3, 2022
Tweet, Feb. 27, 2022
Reuters, Ugandan leader extols Africa-Russia friendship during visit by Lavrov, July 26, 2022
CNN, Uganda president: Homosexuals are ‘disgusting,’ Feb. 25, 2014
Email interview with matt Dornic, CNN spokesperson, Oct. 24, 2022
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CNN didn't report that Uganda's president said it would be 'disgusting' to support Ukraine
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