Four Disney employees were recently arrested in connection with an alleged Florida human trafficking operation – but company CEO Bob Chapek wasn’t among them, contrary to widespread claims circulating online.
“Breaking news! Disney CEO Bob Chapel (sic) arrested for Child Trafficking!” reads a March 18 Facebook post that cites "Gitmo TV." The text meme generated more than 1,000 reactions in less than a week.
Similar versions of the claim made the rounds on Facebook and Twitter, with many users sharing a screenshot of an article from a website called the Vancouver Times headlined, “CEO of Disney arrested for human trafficking.”
The Vancouver Times claims Chapek’s arrest was met with a “complete media blackout” and that he is facing multiple felony charges, including trafficking a child across state lines and possession of child pornography.
Since it was published March 17, the article generated more than 5,300 interactions on Facebook, according to CrowdTangle, a social media insights tool. Some users perceived it to be a genuine news report.
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But it’s a fictional story from a satirical publication, as independent fact-checking organizations reported. There is no evidence Chapek was arrested for human trafficking.
After being contacted by USA TODAY, a Twitter user who shared the claim deleted the original post and ...
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