Photo shows packed beach of re-opened Jacksonville Beach on CNN.
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
Photo of packed beach is from Brazil in 2013, not Jacksonville Beach in 2020
If Your Time is short
-
The photo isn’t from Florida in the spring of coronavirus. It was taken in Brazil in 2013 during a visit from Pope Francis.
After some Florida cities re-opened their beaches during the pandemic, images of Floridians strolling on the sand flooded the internet.
Many of the photos are legitimate, but we can safely say this one is not. The image shows a packed beach with CNN’s logo at the bottom and the words "Jacksonville Beach reopens."
This is bogus. CNN didn’t air the image or claim that it depicts Jacksonville Beach in 2020. It also wasn’t taken recently, or in Florida.
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
The photo was manipulated to include the CNN logo. A reverse-image search shows that the photo was taken in 2013, not 2020.
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
Where, you ask? The mountains in the background should be the first red flag. There are no mountains in Florida.
Featured Fact-check
The image also isn’t even from the United States. It was captured on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 28, 2013, for a mass held by Pope Francis during a weeklong visit to the country. About 3 million people attended, according to news reports.
Despite what recent posts on social media might say, the photo has nothing to do with CNN, Florida or beaches currently reopening in the U.S.
We rate it Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Facebook post, April 19, 2020
Tin Eye, Reverse-image search, April 22, 2020
Getty Images, BRAZIL-POPE-WYD-FINAL MASS, July 28, 2013
Boston Globe, Pope Francis draws 3 million in Rio de Janeiro, July 29, 2013
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Samantha Putterman
Photo of packed beach is from Brazil in 2013, not Jacksonville Beach in 2020
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.