Has Wendy Mesley really left the CBC to sell face cream? Is Ron MacLean actually peddling erectile dysfunction pills? Did the Dragons invest in that new product? How about that CBC News story that links to a gambling site - is that real? The answer to all is a resounding no, but it can be confusing when stories like these are shared in ways that make them look like CBC created content or from accounts using CBC names or branding.
The Internet allows for great leaps of communication, but it can be a little wild west too. How do you know if what you are seeing is actually a CBC News story or a really convincing fraudulent use of CBC’s name and logos? Here are some tips to help you navigate:
1. Consider the source. Are you seeing an “article” about a CBC personality on a social media site or in an advertisement on another webpage?
2. Look where you’ve landed. All CBC content has the same naming convention in the address bar, so look at the URL. You should see [https://www.cbc.ca/] at the beginning of the address. If it’s anything else, including “cbc.com”, or "cbc.ca-" then it’s not a legitimate CBC site;
3. Go to the source. If you can’t find the story you are looking for on CBC, either by using our own Search engine or by Googling the story and getting to CBC.ca (see above), then you should think twice.
It’s fake news, now what?
If you are seeing false information, you can let us know by sending an email including a link to the false item via our Contact Form. If you saw this information on a social media platform (Twitter, Facebook) you can also report the post of ad to the platform to let them know. We’d appreciate it!