Posts suggesting Boris Johnson did not have COVID-19 in April 2020 are based on article labelled as satire

The original article was intended as satire and it has since been labelled as so.

(Reuters) - Online posts that suggest Boris Johnson did not have COVID-19 when he was hospitalised with the disease in April 2020 are based on an article that is now labelled as satirical.

Social media users have shared a screenshot from what appears to be a TikTok video including a picture of Boris Johnson and text which reads: “Dorset Eye are reporting that when the PM was admitted to hospital, all staff were required to sign the official secrets act. 2 doctors who disagreed with his diagnosis refused and were sent home ‘on leave’. One of the doctors said: ‘if he has Covid19 I am not a doctor’.”

A version posted on Facebook here has had dozens of interactions, with the users in the comments seemingly unaware that the post was ever intended as satire.

One writes that people “had figured that out”, while another says he “was hoping it was something much worse”.

On Twitter, one person’s tweet – with the caption: “The truth will out…” – has amassed thousands of shares and likes (here).

Similar posts first began appearing on Facebook as early as April 12, 2020 (here, here and here), with some amassing hundreds of shares (here, here and here).

Other recent versions which contain the screenshot of the TikTok post can be found on Facebook (hereand here).

However, the April 12, 2020, Dorset Eye article (here), upon which the claim is based, is now located within the website’s satire section (here).

Dorset Eye describes itself as “an independent non-profit news website” where “most articles are entirely fact based”. Those that are opinion based are “made clear on the site” (here).

Despite the first line of the article currently saying that it is “possibly satire, possibly not,” the original version of the article failed to mention that it may or may not be satirical, as captured here on the day it was published.

Later that day, the website added (here) : “We realise now that this article may well be satire or that the names have simply been made up.

Either way the point is that we have a PM who is perceived by millions as a liar and a government who have handled the Covid-19 crisis in a chaotic and often criminal way. We do however apologise to those who may initially have believed that this article was 100% factual (without satirical substance).”

That disclaimer has since been removed and the article has been moved to the ‘Satire in name only’ section of the site.

The names used in the article also appear to be a play on words – “Shirley Knott” (surely not) and “Ashleigh Pullin” (actually pulling [one’s leg]).

The claim has been addressed by another fact-checking outlet here.

VERDICT

Satire. The original article was intended as satire and it has since been labelled as so.