Rebel News says a viral image at the centre of a controversy over its Orange Shirt Day merchandise was a “hoax” that falsely depicted a distressed child on one of its shirts.
The image sparked accusations of residential school “denialism” and a “campaign of hate” from Liberal MPs.
Rebel News editor-in-chief Sheila Gunn Reid told Juno News the image was created by an Indigenous social media user and was never featured on the outlet’s merchandise.
“The image that sparked this was a hoax — a drawing by an influencer, not our product,” Gunn Reid said. “Anyone who describes our merchandise as depicting a suffering child is repeating disinformation.”
The controversy centres on Rebel News’s Orange Shirt Day collection, launched in late August ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The collection features slogans including “Still No Proof,” “Dig Deeper,” “Buried Truth,” “Built Not Stolen” and “You Can’t Handle the Truth.”
