Claim that BBC published false story on Tom Hanks arrest is fake
"We can confirm that BBC News did not post this story."
A screenshot purporting to show a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) website with a headline reading: “Tom Hanks Arrested on 135 Counts of Child Porn Possession” was digitally manipulated. The BBC confirmed it did not publish the story, and pictures of the actor on holiday in Greece this month show he is not in custody.
Here is an example of a social media post featuring content from a website called debarelli.com.
The website alleges that an article published by the BBC about Hanks’ arrest was briefly posted and subsequently deleted from the web. The blog’s text questions: “Who at the BBC gave the ‘Ok’ for this curious headline to be published?” The writer also asks: “How has this flown under the radar of the other mainstream media news outlets, escaped the news cycle, and the social media hyenas? “
But Reuters found no record of any reporting from reputable media outlets that Tom Hanks was arrested, and the website that published the story presents multiple red flags.
The website contains links to misleading content previously debunked by Reuters, such as “Elite Pedophiles Control America” and a book excerpt falsely attributed to Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum . It also contains references to “The Deep State,” a staple term of “QAnon” conspiracy theory.
A comparison of the screenshot in the article with the actual BBC news page shows a similar format. The three bullet points under the Tom Hanks piece, however, appear to be related to vaccines. Though the photo is blurry, the bullet points “How can I get my second jab sooner?” “What are the lockdown rules” and “Your Covid questions answered” can be made out under the headline and photograph of Tom Hanks and his wife.
An actual BBC News article featuring these same bullet points can be seen here showing an article that is about COVID-19 vaccines. The headline and photo of Tom Hanks were likely digitally added to this story.
A spokesperson for the BBC told Reuters via email: “We can confirm that BBC News did not post this story.”
An Aug. 6, 2021 article shows Tom and wife Rita on holiday in Greece. Pictures of the couple prove that Hanks is not in custody (the article was posted on June 20).
Hanks’ representatives did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.
Thus, the BBC did not publish reports that Tom Hanks was arrested. This image was likely altered from an authentic BBC News homepage.
