Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Weeks after Elon Musk confounded Twitter executives for their inaction “against child exploitation” on the platform before his take over, a screengrab of an article titled ‘Former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal arrested for child porn,’ is being widely circulated on Facebook. It further reads, “Parag Agrawal, the former CEO of Twitter, has been arrested for possession of child pornography after a tip off from Elon Musk.” Newschecker found that the viral screengrab is from a satirical website, and not an authentic news report.
Several Facebook users shared the screenshot of the article alleging that Agrawal has been arrested for possession of child pornography.
Links to such Facebook posts can be found here, here, here and here.
Also Read: SRK Called Pakistan His ‘Second Home’? Here’s The Truth Behind Viral Tweet
Fact Check/Verification
A Google search for “Parag Agrawal,” “arrested” & “child porn” did not yield any credible news reports on the alleged arrest of the former Twitter CEO for the “possession of child pornography.”
Following this, we skimmed through various posts making the claim and spotted “Vancouver Times” written on the viral screengrab.
Taking a clue, we conducted a keyword search for “Vancouver Times Parag Agrawal” on Google which led us to an article published on the website on December 23, titled ‘Former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal arrested for child porn.’
We skimmed through the article and found an endnote stating, “This is a satire article. For more information on our website, go to the About Us section or read the Disclaimer.”
Further, the ‘About Us‘ section of the website clearly identifies its content as “satirical stories.” It states, “Vancouver Times is the most trusted source for satire on the West Coast. We write satirical stories about issues that affect conservatives.”
Newschecker has debunked several such satirical pieces by Vancouver Times which were being shared as an authentic news report. Such fact checks can be seen here, and here.
Conclusion
Viral post claiming that former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has been arrested for possession of child pornography is false. It originated from a satirical website, and not an authentic news report.
Result: Satire
Sources
Website Of Vancouver Times
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
