FACT CHECK: Image Claims To Show CNN Article About The Taliban Banning Sanitary Napkins

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a CNN article reporting the Taliban banned sanitary napkins in Afghanistan.

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

The supposed CNN article is fabricated. There are no reports from major media outlets of the Taliban banning sanitary napkins.

Fact Check: 

In early September, the Taliban announced it had formed an interim government, which comprised of only men, the Associated Press reported. Since taking control of Afghanistan, the militant group has instituted restrictions on women, including requiring gender segregation and Islamic dress codes in universities, according to France 24.

Facebook and Twitter users have recently been sharing an image allegedly showing a CNN article titled “Taliban bans sanitory (sic) napkins in Afghanistan, says it’s not a Sharia complaint (sic) practice,” despite there being no evidence the network ever published the story.

A search of CNN’s website didn’t yield any matches for the supposed article about the Taliban and menstrual products circulating online. Nor has a story with that headline been posted on CNN’s verified social media accounts.

Furthermore, there are clear signs that the image is fabricated, such as the spelling errors in the headline and the CNN logo being flipped. Genuine articles published on CNN’s website include bylines and time stamps showing when they were published or updated, both of which the one in the Facebook post lacks.

CNN spokesperson Bridget Leininger confirmed to Check Your Fact in an email that the article is fake. (RELATED: Did CNN Air This Chyron About ‘Two Deadly Viruses’ Killing Nigerians?)

Check Your Fact found no reports from national news outlets, such as ABC News, NBC News or The Wall Street Journal, saying the Taliban banned the use of sanitary napkins in Afghanistan.

Social media users have shared fake CNN articles in the past. For example, Check Your Fact in July debunked a claim that CNN reported President Joe Biden was sending troops to Haiti after the assassination of the Haitian president. Another image purportedly showing a CNN story about the Biden administration lowering the age of consent to eight was also fabricated.