Online advertisements using the names of celebrities to promote fake cannabis products have become a popular form of misinformation on social media, with the latest iteration targeting Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon who serves as CNN’s chief medical correspondent.
Like many other celebs who have gotten thrown into the misinformation mix, this very untrue and almost laughable story purported that Dr. Gupta had launched a line of CBD gummies. Oh yeah, and that he was dead.
Straight out not true.
The ad further misleads by appearing as if it were published by CNN’s Maggie Fox and Elizabeth Cohen, senior editor and senior medical correspondent, respectively, but no such headline exists on the network’s website.
In fact, the claim was previously debunked by POLITIFACT.
“He is alive and well, despite a post announcing, 'A Tragic End Today For Our Dr. Gupta, Viewers Feel Sad About Today’s News,'" wrote the authoritative nonprofit fact-checking website operated by the Poynter Institute.
Facebook...Again
The death hoax appeared in a Dec. 23rd Facebook post that linked to a spam advertisement, which falsely claimed Dr. Gupta was the CEO of a company that sold CBD gummies. The hoax was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its news feed.
The post, which began "End of the road for medical expert," apparently implied that the good doctor was somehow selling CBD gummies from the beyond.
So, no Dr. Gupta is not at the end of the road nor is he in selling CBD gummies.
“And we wish we could tell you this is ‘the end of the road’ for social media posts that falsely proclaim the deaths of people who are very much alive,” noted POLITIFACT.
Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash
