FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show A CBC Article About Justin Trudeau’s Son?
An image shared on Facebook claims to show an article from CBC News reporting that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s son came out as transgender.
Verdict: False
The image is digitally altered. A spokesperson for CBC denied the validity of the screen grab.
Fact Check:
Trudeau is planning to unveil a “special team” to counter “Russian disinformation and propaganda” online, according to CTV News. The government of Canada has previously called on the Defense Department and communications agencies to “publicly” call out disinformation, the outlet reported.
The Facebook image allegedly shows a screen grab of a CBC article about Trudeau’s youngest son coming out as transgender, preferring to now be called “Hannah” from now on.
“‘We fully support and are immensely proud of Hannah’s decision to transition, and we hope the country will join us in celebrating this moment,'” the sub-headline reads.
The image is digitally fabricated. No such article with the title appears on the CBC’s website. Laura McQuillan, the journalist who allegedly reported the story, also does not have any stories matching the one in the Facebook image under her byline.
The article has been altered from a July 28 story about pet custody cases stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, which shares the same publishing date and time. (RELATED: FACT CHECK: Did Justin Trudeau Say He Was ‘Limiting Your Human Rights’?)
There is also no evidence Trudeau’s son has come out as transgender. Trudeau has also not released anything through his verified social media accounts indicating his son is transgender. There are likewise no credible news reports suggesting such an event occurred.
“We can confirm that CBC did not publish this article,” Kerry Kelly, a CBC spokesperson, told Check Your Fact in an email. “We are aware of a number of recently posted images of fake stories attributed to CBC News and are working with Social Media providers to flag and remove these false and inflammatory manipulated images.
This is not the first time misinformation regarding Trudeau has circulated on the internet. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim suggesting Interpol was investigating the prime minister for genocide.
