Article reporting Pfizer executive vice president’s arrest is satire

 

Screenshot of the Facebook post.

(*Click to view larger image)

 

The Claim and Our Verdict

• Fact-checking:
  • A Facebook post published May 8, 2022 claims that the executive vice president of Pfizer was arrested at his home and charged by federal agents with multiple counts of fraud. However, the article was originally published May 6, 2022 on the satirical news website “Vancouver Times.” The article clearly states, “this is a satire article.”
  • In response to the media and fact-checking organizations’ inquiries, Pfizer stated that the allegation was not true and that Executive Vice President Rady Johnson had not been arrested.
  • Therefore, the claim is fabricated. It originates from a satire article.
• Our verdict: The article reporting Pfizer executive vice president’s arrest is satire.

News Brief

A Facebook post published May 8, 2022 claims that Pfizer’s executive vice president has been arrested. The traditional Chinese-language post can be partially translated as: “Pfizer’s Executive Vice President Rady Johnson has been arrested at his home and charged by federal agents with multiple counts of fraud. He has been taken into custody and is awaiting a bail hearing.” The post also shared an English-language article, titled “VP of Pfizer arrested after #pfizerdocuments get released.”

According to Pfizer’s official website, Rady Johnson is the company’s executive vice president and chief compliance, quality and risk officer.

As of the publication of this report, the Facebook post had been shared 12 times, and had received 10 comments and 65 likes or reactions.

Fact-checking

The article “VP of Pfizer arrested after #pfizerdocuments get released” was originally published May 6, 2022, on the website “Vancouver Times.” The article is classified into the “Satire” category on the website. In addition, the article clearly states, “This is a satirical article. Health officials in Canada consider vaccines to be safe and effective.”
 

Screenshot of the article from the satirical news website “Vancouver Times.”

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The “About Us” page of “Vancouver Times” states, “Vancouver Times is the most trusted source of satire on the West Coast.”
 

Screenshot of the “About Us” page of “Vancouver Times.”

(*Click to view larger image)

 
In response to inquiries from USA Today and Taiwan FactCheck Center, Pfizer stated in the email replies that the allegation was not true and that Executive Vice President Rady Johnson was not arrested.

As of the publication of this report, keyword searches on the websites of the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters and other international news agencies found no information about “the arrest of Pfizer’s Executive Vice President Rady Johnson.”