Vancouver Times

Was Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, arrested by Interpol on July 24, 2022, for crimes against humanity? No, that's not true: The website of the International Criminal Police Organization does not corroborate the online reports. The website publishing the claim says in its "About Us" section that it is "the most trusted source for satire…

Did singer Justin Bieber say that the COVID-19 vaccine ruined his life? No, that's not true: A Daily Mail article that describes Bieber's bout with facial paralysis due to Ramsay Hunt syndrome doesn't mention any of Bieber's thoughts on COVID vaccines. A claim on a satirical blog falsely cites the Daily Mail article as the source of Bieber's purported anti-vaccine…

Was Amber Heard arrested for perjury and cocaine possession as of June 3, 2022? No, that's not true: This is a completely made-up claim, published by a website that calls itself a "trusted source for satire." The claim appeared in an article published by the Vancouver Times on June 3, 2022, titled "Amber Heard arrested for perjury, cocaine." It opened:…

Was Paul Pelosi charged with possession of child pornography? No, that's not true: Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on May 28, 2022, and was not charged with possession of child pornography, according to the press release from Napa California Highway Patrol about the DUI arrest, and his spokesperson,…

Did the CEO of Pfizer get arrested? Was the vice president of Pfizer detained by federal agents recently? No, neither of these claims are true: A spokesperson from Pfizer told Lead Stories that these claims are false. Vancouver Times, which wrote about the Pfizer vice president, is satirical according to its About Us section. Meanwhile, another site -- Fast News…

Was the CEO of Disney, Bob Chapek, arrested for human trafficking in Southern California? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated story with no basis in fact. The article lacks ironic or humorous cues that would indicate it is a commentary or that this "news" is posted on a satire website, although the "About" page identifies it as satiric.…

Was Tamara Lich, one of the leaders of the Ottawa trucker convoy, found dead in her jail cell? No, that's not true: Lich was alive as of February 23, 2022, according to the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, where she was being detained. The spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General confirmed to Lead Stories that Lich had not been found…

Does this video show the meeting of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at Cape Horn? Or two oceans meeting in the Gulf of Alaska? No, that's not true: This video was filmed in Canada, near Vancouver Island, and shows the dramatic difference in color of the plume of the Fraser River joining the salty ocean water of the Strait of…

An entire network of fake news websites designed to look like local news outlets has vanished without a trace. Most likely it happened in the fall-out of a hoax from a month ago about a security guard at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas supposedly being arrested as the "second shooter" after the mass shooting event on October 1st…

Known fake news website Free Inquirer published an article titled "Florida man who shot at Hurricane Irma dies after bullet ricochets". It opened: A 47-year old man from Polk County, Florida, has been confirmed as one of the first fatalities of Hurricane Irma after he ignored warnings and fired a weapon into the storm. According to a source who responded…