Cooke sends cease and desist letter to Van Orden over AI videos on social media
Van Orden disputed Cooke’s allegations and accused her campaign of running false ads about his record.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYLeader-Telegram is a local news outlet, a source type that generally has established editorial practices and local reporting experience. The article presents both candidates’ statements and explains the legal status of the letter, though no author is identified and the competing claims are not independently verified.
- Source type — Local news outlet with a regional reporting focus.
- Editorial standards — The article distinguishes the letter from a court order and attributes claims to the candidates and their representatives.
- Author attribution — No author is identified for this article.
- Transparency — The article gives limited independent verification of the campaign claims it reports.
The article includes statements from both campaigns and useful context about what a cease-and-desist letter can do. However, it does not independently examine the video or the ads each side disputes, leaving the central claims unresolved.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article presents the candidates’ competing allegations and explains the letter’s legal significance. It offers little independent evidence to assess either side’s claims.
- Counterarguments presented — Van Orden’s response to Cooke’s allegation is included, along with his own accusations about her campaign.
- Source diversity — Both campaigns are represented, but no independent expert or documentary verification is presented.
- Omitted context — The article does not independently assess the videos or the ads at issue.
- Loaded language — Loaded wording is attributed to the candidates rather than used in the reporter’s narration.
The report uses mostly neutral language and attributes the candidates’ accusations to them. It includes claims from both sides without endorsing either.
- Language tone — The narration is restrained; charged language appears in attributed quotations.
- Source selection — Both candidates’ statements are included.
- Framing — The story centers on Cooke’s letter and includes Van Orden’s response.
Rebecca Cooke sent Derrick Van Orden a cease-and-desist letter over AI videos posted to his social media account that she says falsely put words in her mouth. Van Orden denied Cooke’s claims and accused her campaign of running false ads against him.
Cooke’s letter concerned a deepfake posted on Van Orden’s X account in August that depicted her beside former President Joe Biden and attributed statements to her. Her legal counsel said she had not made those statements and did not support the positions in the video. The article notes that a cease-and-desist letter is not a court order, and Cooke’s attorneys said they would monitor the account and consider legal options if the videos continued.
Cooke also criticized Van Orden’s record and said he was using the videos for political gain. In a press statement, Van Orden called Cooke’s letter a stunt and said her campaign was running false ads about his positions on data centers and congressional stock trading. The article does not independently resolve either candidate’s claims.
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SWIPE →Republican representative and House candidate whose account posted the videos and who disputed Cooke’s claims
Democratic House candidate who sent Van Orden a cease-and-desist letter
Cooke's version of this story ↗
Former president depicted beside Cooke in the AI video
Part of a bigger story
8 OUTLETSRebecca Cooke’s campaign sent Derrick Van Orden a cease-and-desist letter over AI-generated videos depicting her making statements she says were false. Van Orden later posted another AI-generated video. Left-leaning outlets frame the videos as misleading political ads and emphasize Van Orden’s follow-up post. Center outlets present the letter and competing campaign claims as a dispute, with some adding broader context about campaign deepfakes and legal standards.
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