NOT REAL: CNN's Cooper explains "fake" Hurricane Florence intensity

Associated Press

NOT REAL: CNN's Anderson Cooper Caught Faking Hurricane Florence Intensity

THE FACTS: Several online sites this week shared photos of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper broadcasting while standing in waist-high water, falsely claiming the images proved he faked the wrath of Hurricane Florence on air. The claims were made after Donald Trump Jr. tweeted the photo of Cooper, which also showed his camera crew standing a few feet away in water only above their ankles. Trump did not specifically mention Hurricane Florence in his social media post. The photo in question was taken a decade ago when Cooper was broadcasting out of Texas during Hurricane Ike, not during Florence, which hit North and South Carolina this month. During a Monday night broadcast, Cooper addressed several of the claims circulating on the internet and Donald Trump Jr.'s tweet. "I've covered hurricanes for about 14 years and it really does make me sad to think that anyone would believe that I would try to fake something or overly dramatize a disaster," Cooper said.