What reputable fact-checks investigated claims about Brittney Griner's sex or DNA tests during her detention in Russia?
Executive summary
Multiple established fact‑checking outlets investigated viral claims that Russian authorities ordered Brittney Griner to undergo a DNA or “sex” test while she was detained in Russia and found the claim to be unsubstantiated or fabricated (Newsweek; Check Your Fact; Reuters; PolitiFact) [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. The viral claim under scrutiny
The persistent social‑media claim held that Russian officials had ordered a DNA test to determine whether Griner should be housed in a male or female prison, often circulated alongside a doctored screenshot purporting to be a CNN chyron reporting the test [1] [2] [3].
2. Which reputable fact‑checkers examined it
At least four mainstream fact‑checking organizations investigated the specific DNA/sex‑test allegation: Newsweek ran a dedicated fact check examining the claim [1], Check Your Fact analyzed and debunked the fabricated CNN screenshot [2], Reuters published a fact‑check labeling the image altered and noting no such CNN story exists [3], and PolitiFact reviewed similar social posts and concluded there was no evidence Russia ordered any DNA test [4].
3. What those fact‑checks concluded
All of those outlets reached the same core findings: the purported CNN chyron and reports were digitally fabricated, there was no verifiable evidence Russian authorities ordered a DNA or gender test for Griner, and contemporaneous reporting indicated she was being held in facilities used for women rather than being subjected to sex‑determination procedures [2] [3] [4] [1].
4. How the fact‑checkers established fabrication
Check Your Fact and Reuters documented that the screenshot was produced from a reusable meme template and that no matching story or video exists on CNN’s site or social accounts, while Newsweek and PolitiFact pointed to contemporaneous news reporting showing Griner held in women’s detention facilities and to the absence of any credible official statement ordering such a test [2] [3] [1] [4].
5. Broader context, misinformation dynamics and motives
Fact‑checkers noted the allegation fit a pattern of social‑media manipulation exploiting Griner’s public history of being misgendered and the geopolitical attention around her detention; outlets warned the claim amplified transphobic narratives and leveraged sensational imagery for clicks or political signals, and some debunkers pointed out there was no response from Russian authorities documented in reporting [4] [1] [2].
6. Limits of available reporting and lingering questions
The published fact‑checks uniformly show no credible evidence for a Russian‑ordered DNA/sex test and identify the key artifacts as fabricated, but sourcing limits remain: the fact‑checks rely on open‑source verification (site searches, reverse image checks) and contemporaneous news reports rather than a Russian government denial or exhaustive access inside detention facilities, a gap the reporters explicitly note [3] [1] [2].
7. Bottom line
Reputable fact‑checking organizations including Newsweek, Check Your Fact, Reuters and PolitiFact investigated the claims and concluded they were false or unsubstantiated—rooted in an altered CNN screenshot and lacking any corroboration in contemporaneous reporting about Griner’s detention [1] [2] [3] [4].