Tucker Carlson Social Media Is Ruining Sports

The claim: Tucker Carlson suggested photos of bodies in Bucha, Ukraine, could have been staged

A fabricated-up quote falsely attributed to Tucker Carlson has spread widely on social media, where politicians and media figures claimed the Fox News host was parroting Russian falsehoods virtually potential war crimes in Ukraine.

The confusion began with a tweet in which quondam Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., appeared to quote Carlson on photos depicting the bodies of civilians in the streets of Bucha, Ukraine.

".@TuckerCarlson this evening: 'What if these bodies of tortured, dead civilians were staged?'" the Apr 4 tweet reads. "'What if they're fake? What if the Ukrainian military killed them & and so blamed Russia? I'm not saying whatsoever of this is true, I'm only asking the questions. Why can't we ask these questions?'"

Walsh'due south tweet referred to graphic images published April 4 that prove Bucha residents who had been shot at shut range or allegedly otherwise executed. Satellite imagery and intercepted calls signal the photos are real, but the Russian government claims the deaths were "staged" by Ukrainian forces and Western media later Russian troops left the urban center.

Thousands of people – including MSNBC host Joy Reid, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif. – shared the tweet as if information technology were a real quote. Walsh later on clarified the tweet was a "prediction" of what Carlson would say on his testify "Tucker Carlson Tonight," and Lieu deleted his quote-tweet of the post.

The tweet also appeared as a screenshot in hundreds of posts on other platforms, such as Facebook.

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"Fox News and the Murdoch family take a responsibility hither!" Amy Siskind, a Democratic activist and podcast host, wrote in a Facebook post Apr four. "Tucker Carlson should not be immune on air in a time of war to spread Russian propaganda!"

Merely Carlson has denied saying the quote in the tweet, and Walsh told USA TODAY information technology'south fabricated up. The claim also surfaced before Carlson would take had a chance to comment on the Bucha images.

U.s.a. TODAY reached out to Reid, Kinzinger, Lieu and Siskind for comment.

Carlson didn't say quote

Carlson responded to Walsh's tweet on air, calling the quote "disinformation" and noting that his show hadn't broached the topic.

"It'south completely made up – utterly," Carlson said on his prove Apr 5. "We didn't say that, we didn't say anything like that. We didn't even accost the topic on the air in whatever fashion. So everything virtually Joe Walsh's tweet is a manufactured lie. Information technology'southward pure disinformation, as they now say."

Fact check roundup:What's true and what's faux about the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Walsh told USA TODAY he "stands behind" his tweet. He said he has previously posted "predictions" of Carlson's scripts on Twitter in advance of his shows, but none had been misinterpreted in the style this tweet was.

Our rating: Simulated

Based on our enquiry, we rate Simulated the merits that Carlson suggested photos of bodies in Bucha could have been staged past Ukrainians. The claim stems from a Twitter post the author acknowledges was fabricated up.

Our fact-cheque sources:

• Joe Walsh, Apr 7, Phone interview with USA TODAY
• Joe Walsh, Apr 4, Tweet (archived)
• The Eye for Public Integrity, updated Feb. 7, 2020, 9 things to know about Joe Walsh
• Tucker Carlson This night via SnapStream, April 5, 8:33:57 pm - viii:40:26 pm segment
• Fox News, accessed April 8, Tucker Carlson Tonight
• USA TODAY, April 7, State of war in Ukraine: Wake of violence revealed as Russian troops withdraw
• Us TODAY, April 7, Un ousts Russian federation from Human Rights Quango; Germany reportedly intercepts chatter on atrocities: Apr vii recap

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