CNN’s Jake Tapper has come under fire for claiming Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is firing at his own citizens after he shared a misleading tweet showing army defectors on the opposition side wielding guns.

CNN live in Venezuela as Maduro government mows down citizens in streets @StePozzebon reports @TheLeadCNNhttps://t.co/yHCeNXWSpFpic.twitter.com/6HyGlXj4mE — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 30, 2019

“CNN live in Venezuela as Maduro government mows down citizens in streets,” Tapper tweeted with a link that leads to a CNN video report starting with an image of a number of army defectors fighting on the side of the opposition. The video includes footage of what appears to be a National Guard truck hitting civilians, but Tapper’s tweet implies Maduro is gunning down citizens by using an image of soldiers with weapons.

According to AFP, the soldiers are members of the Bolivarian National Guard who have joined the opposition headed by self-declared ‘interim president’ Juan Guaido.

According every other source, the blue armbands say those are the opposition, not the gov't. Wapo seems to be able to keep that straight. https://t.co/UUyErAn2C0 — Brooke Storm (@brooke_a_storm) May 1, 2019 Yes. Those guys in the blue armbands must be stopped. — Car Abolitionist (@JncoDaddy) April 30, 2019 bullshit, there was a US-backed coup attempt and you're showing the coup members in this photo. what is wrong with you? Retraction NOW — #IStandWithIlhan (@IStandWithIlhan) May 1, 2019

Tapper was soon called out by a crowd of irritated social media users who accused him of fake news, propaganda, “manufacturing consent,” and of failing to take two minutes to verify the image and claim he was making.

“A reporter would verify the picture and in two minutes would learn that the blue armbands are a sign of the mutinying troops,” journalist Vijay Prashad pointed out.

Dear @jaketapper a reporter would verify the picture and in two minutes would learn that the blue armbands are a sign of the mutinying troops. That’s what reporters, not stenographers of the State, do. Thanks. Vijay Prashad (reporter). https://t.co/AsVtjYfDgi — Vijay Prashad (@vijayprashad) April 30, 2019 Sloppy pro-war narrator Tapper - who once recommended a 6-year-old child as a Syria expert - is so thirsty for regime change that he’s falsely painting military defectors on the side of US puppet Juan Guaido as “Maduro’s government.” https://t.co/oUQwqk7UUHhttps://t.co/7k7YKnAhyi — Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) May 1, 2019

“Josef Goebbels would be proud of you!” another person tweeted, while others demanded Tapper retract the inaccurate statement.

Tapper is yet to respond to the criticism.

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