A post shared on Facebook claims CBS News purportedly fired anchors Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan following the network’s Oct. 1 vice presidential debate.
Verdict: False
The claim is false and originally stems from an Oct. 3 article published on the satire site “SpaceX Mania.”
Fact Check:
An average of multiple polls shows 48% of people who watched CBS News’ Oct. 1 vice presidential debate thought Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance was the winner, according to ABC News. The same data shows 46% of viewers thought Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz was the winner, the outlet reported.
The Facebook post, which has garnered over 500 likes as of writing, claims CBS News purportedly fired O’Donnell and Brennan following the network’s Oct. 1 vice presidential debate.
“CBS Officially Fires Debate Moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan: Disgrace Cannot Be Allowed to Remain on Our Network,” the post reads. A comment shared by the post’s author links to an article published on “Moonzi.net” that repeats the claim.
The claim is false and originally stems from an Oct. 3 article published on the satire site “SpaceX Mania.”
“All the information on this website – SpaceXMania.com – is published in good faith and for general information purposes only. SpaceXMania does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website (SpaceXMania), is strictly at your own risk. SpaceXMania will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website,” the site’s “Disclaimer” page reads.
“Please note that [articles] under the category ‘SATIRE’ are satirical in nature and are not meant to be taken seriously. These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up. We make no claim that the information presented in these articles is true or accurate,” an “About Satire” note on the same page indicates. (RELATED: Fact-Checking Vance And Walz’s Exchange On Minnesota’s Abortion Law)
Likewise, the claim is not referenced on CBS News’ website or its verified social media accounts. In addition, neither O’Donnell nor Brennan appear to have publicly commented on the claim.
Furthermore, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. In fact, the opposite is true. On Oct. 10, USA Today debunked the claim, tracing its origin to the same satire article.
A spokesperson for CBS News declined to comment on the claim when contacted.