‘CNN report’ on striking Yale professors is fake

A video circulating on social media appears to show a CNN report about professors at Yale University striking because of students using AI. 

The footage has a CNN banner at the bottom and features a montage of clips showing university buildings, crowds of people, and AI tools, while a voiceover says: “All Yale professors are on strike after discovering hundreds of students have been using AI to ace their classes.” 

It goes on to say that students were found to be using an app that “recorded all their lectures”, which then “generated detailed notes, flashcards and quizzes”. The report says the university is “working to find a solution with the professors” because the “tool does not break any rules”. 

The fake report has been shared on TikTok more than 10,000 times, and has also been posted on Facebook, Instagram and Threads with captions including: “All Yale University Professors on strike over students’ use of AI”. But this is not a real report published by CNN. 

A spokesperson for the news outlet confirmed to Full Fact that the viral video is fake, saying: “This is a fabricated image and video and not something that ever aired on CNN.”

We could find no credible reports of Yale professors being on strike on the CNN website or its social media channels, or any reports by other outlets, including the Yale University website. 

How does the clip compare to actual CNN reports?

There are some clear differences between the viral video and genuine CNN reports, which often include news anchors, correspondents at the scene, and guest interviews. The fake video on social media is missing other details found in real reports, such as location tags, the date and time, and video and image credits. 

The banner at the bottom of the fake report also shows the CNN logo in a separate box, whereas genuine reports have one long banner connecting the headline with the logo itself, as well as an additional smaller CNN logo overlaid in the bottom right hand corner. It also uses a different font to actual CNN content. Shorter CNN videos do not have a banner or logo at the bottom. 

Where does the footage come from?

Many of the clips in the fake report come from other unrelated sources, and do not show professors currently on strike. 

A reverse image search of a frame [0:01 seconds] showing a man in a blue shirt actually comes from a 2017 YouTube video with the description: “Public Shaming MOB demand groveling apology from Yale Professor”, following a fallout over Halloween costumes.

The next clip [0:02 seconds] showing people in raincoats comes from a CBS News report shared in January 2024 with the caption: “Judge threatens more fines if Newton teacher strike continues beyond weekend”.  

Another clip showing a man speaking at a podium on a stage [0:08 seconds] featured in a news report [1:08 seconds] uploaded to the Chinese video site Bilibili in 2021 with the caption: “Why did US universities resist the Trump administration’s ban on international students?” [translated by Google]. 

The fake CNN report appears to be promoting an app called Turbolearn AI. Full Fact has contacted the company for comment, and will update this article if we receive a response. 

We’ve written about many other examples of fake video reports appearing to be from genuine sources, including the BBC and USA Today, as well as other examples of posts sharing fake CNN graphics, headlines and social media posts.  

Our guides on how to spot misleading images and videos offer some useful tips to verify what you see online.