CNBC didn't report Apple is scrapping clown emoji. Image of headline is altered | Fact check

Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: Image shows CNBC report about Apple removing the ‘Far-Right' clown emoji

A May 15 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows what appears to be a CNBC headline about an upcoming change to Apple devices.

“Upcoming Apple device update set to remove clown emoji: sources say emoji used as a Far-Right ‘dog whistle,’” reads the purported headline.

The post received more than 300 likes in less than a day. Similar versions accumulated hundreds of additional likes.

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Our rating: Altered

A CNBC spokesperson said the news outlet did not publish that report. The headline in the image is fabricated. There is no credible evidence of an Apple announcement about removing the emoji.

Several clues indicate image is altered

CNBC did not publish a story about the clown emoji's removal, spokesperson Erin Kitzie told USA TODAY.

The image in the post shows reporter Kate Rogers’ byline along with a timestamp that indicates the headline was supposedly posted at 2:10 p.m. ET on May 15. The outlet did post a story written by Rogers at that time, but the subject of the piece is the McDonald’s $5 value menu – not Apple. Whoever created the image in the post appears to have simply changed the headline.

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There are no reports from credible media outlets that Apple said it will scrub the clown emoji from its devices. Nor have there been any announcements from the tech giant or mentions in its descriptions of iOS 17 updates about the purported removal of the emoji over what the post claims is its supposed use as a "dog whistle" – coded or suggestive speech understood clearly by its target audience yet veiled enough to be missed by others.

A closer look at the image reveals several clues that it has been edited.

Legitimate CNBC stories show the category in all caps in a small font. In the Instagram post, the word “Technology” appears in both upper and lower cases in a font that is too large and not aligned to the left as the real categories are.

The headline in the Instagram post also does not match those on authentic CNBC stories. While the altered version includes drop shadows on each character in the headline, they do not appear in real headlines on the site.

USA TODAY has also debunked false Apple-related claims that iPhones will automatically share contact information with strangers, that the devices take photos of their user's face every few seconds and that users who speak a specific voice command may receive a free crisis loan.

USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CNBC didn't report Apple is scrapping clown emoji | Fact check