She wasn’t the only one. All of We News’ reporters and editors seemed to be malfunctioning on Friday, sending out error messages whenever The Canadian Press tried to ask them questions via chat.

That can happen when your “journalists” are — like the virtual staffers at We News — just fake personas generated by artificial intelligence.

AI has infiltrated news media in Canada and around the world. In early September, Nunatsiaq News published a story about an AI persona posing as an Inuk journalist in Nunavut — one of many personas used to repurpose work from legitimate news sources, including The Canadian Press, for We News.

The site describes itself as a “round-the-clock news portal covering Canada and the world.” But while it remains online, it appears to have been delisted from Google’s search results.

In late September, the story of “Daniel Robson” emerged. Canadian news outlets pulled his work from their websites after being told Robson appeared not to be a real person.

Policy Options editor-in-chief Les Perreaux was the first to sound the alarm in Canada. In an online post on Sept. 24, Perreaux wrote that an editor at Türkiye Today contacted him to ask him to vouch for Robson — and he realized he couldn’t.

“The key moment where my heart sank was when the Turkish journalist told me that Daniel Robson refused to do a video call,” Perreaux said in an interview.

Perreaux said he reviewed the correspondence and material Robson sent and spotted signs of AI product. He said the bigger issue was the attempt to deceive news editors and readers, while AI merely acted as an “accelerant.”

“AI is definitely part of the story, but it’s a smaller part than the deception part where there was a human behind this, pretending to be someone he’s not, or at least refusing to be who he really is,” he said.

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In a story published on Sept. 29, Türkiye Today said the purpose of the Robson persona seems to be to attack Moroccan dissidents.

We News isn’t hiding its use of AI and clearly labels its “journalist” profiles — including photos of what appear to be human beings — as AI generated.

The AI personas at We News, which include grey-haired editor-in-chief “Gordon Halloway,” repurpose international, national, provincial and local news in more than 100 cities across Canada.

The Canadian Press did attempt to reach a human behind the site, but the contact email address listed on the site bounced back.

When the AI detection company Originality.ai analyzed just over 200 articles by “Geneviève Tremblay,” it identified them as AI-generated.

Originality.ai CEO Jon Gillham said the articles were rewritten versions of stories published by legitimate news media outlets like CBC, CTV, CityNews, Global and the Montreal Gazette. The Canadian Press also found its own reporting among the sources.

“I think industrial-scale AI slop (sites) like this one run the risk of degrading the trust in the news,” Gillham said.

The phenomenon isn’t limited to Canada. On Sept. 17, the U.S.-based website Futurism published a story about Brown Brothers Media, a company Futurism said bought up legitimate news sites and flooded them with AI-generated content — and claimed to pull 50 million page views a month.

Ahmed Al-Rawi, a professor of news, social media and public communication at Simon Fraser University, said sites with fake AI journalists are trying to monetize content.

“A lot of players, whether they are bad players or just profiteers, people who are really trying to get money, are exploiting the hard work of real journalists in order to repackage news content,” he said.

Al-Rawi said social media platforms “should also be blamed for enhancing the popularity of these fake websites.”

Western University assistant professor of journalism Chris Arsenault said it’s difficult to regulate these websites.

“You can get a free or very cheap AI model to pump out this kind of nonsense, and you can always find somebody to host it,” he said. “So it’s a very hard thing to legislate around or to respond to in terms of effective policy.”

Paul Deegan, president of the publishers group News Media Canada, said while news content is covered by copyright, it’s very difficult for publishers to sue.

“It’s expensive, it takes a long time, whether or not they are in fact in Canada,” he said. (We News says it’s based in Hong Kong.)

News Media Canada is calling on the federal government to state publicly that it does not intend to introduce a broad exception to copyright law for text and data mining.

AI Minister Evan Solomon’s office said in a media statement that “Canadians deserve to know when the information they consume has been generated or altered by AI.”

“Generative AI can be a useful and powerful tool, but Canadians should not be deceived by content that impersonates journalists or conceals how it was created,” the statement said.

Solomon’s office pointed to a recently-concluded consultation on AI transparency and said it recognizes “the concerns raised by journalists and other creators about consent, compensation, attribution and transparency when their work is used to train AI systems.”

There may be no silver bullet to solve the problem, but Arsenault said there is one antidote: old-fashioned reporting.

He noted the “Daniel Robson” case came to light because “of an old-school editor in Turkey who had the temerity and good sense to just, God forbid, pick up a telephone and do some basic journalism, just do some due diligence on a would-be contributor.”

Futurism reported on Sept. 30 that the Brown Brothers Media sites now appear to have stopped publishing and were delisted or significantly downranked by Google.

In Canada, We News also appears to have been delisted. When The Canadian Press searched for the website using Google’s search engine, it got no results — but the site immediately popped up as the top result on another search engine.

Google did not directly answer questions about whether it has delisted We News from its search results, when it may have done so, and whether that was the result of news coverage about its AI “journalists.”

A spokesperson said in a statement the company’s policies for search and Google News “prohibit producing low-value content at scale to game our ranking systems.”

“While we generally don’t comment on individual sites, we act on policy violations to keep 99 per cent of search visits spam-free,” the spokesperson added.

Deegan said it’s in Google’s interest to “make sure that when people go to Google for information that they’re getting accurate information … For them to de-rank and remove these sites that are clearly involved in theft makes sense.”

But Arsenault questioned whether Big Tech companies should be “playing hall monitor and being arbiters of truth.”

“They have a role to play in taking down stuff that’s clearly untrue … But I don’t know if we want them making those editorial judgments.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2026.

Halle Berry is being accused of abusing her 12-year-old son by her ex-husband, Olivier Martinez.

In a new court filing, viewed by People, USA Today and Variety, Martinez filed for sole custody and a domestic violence restraining order against Berry on Thursday.

Global News has not independently viewed the court documents.

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In the request, Martinez alleged that the 60-year-old actor “physically abused our son, Maceo, by jumping on him, putting her hands around his neck, and choking him,” on Sept. 26, according to USA Today.

Martinez reportedly claimed that this was not the first time that Berry “has physically attacked our son.”

In a statement to Variety, Berry’s lawyer Marina Beck denied the allegations, saying, “To say this filing is entirely meritless and deliberately misleading would be an understatement.”

“There is voluminous evidence, including numerous judicial rulings, that Olivier Martinez repeatedly violated court orders and interfered with necessary therapeutic and educational interventions to the detriment of his and Halle Berry’s minor son Maceo — misconduct for which Mr. Martinez has already been legally sanctioned,” the statement continued.

“In a way, today’s filing is not entirely unexpected from an individual with a well-documented history of erratic, possessive and violent behavior,” Beck added.

“Fortunately, Halle is used to this kind of outrageous conduct from Mr. Martinez and, while she is deeply saddened, she will not allow it to deter her from fighting for Maceo’s best interests and providing him with the love and support he needs,” the statement concluded.

Martinez was granted a temporary restraining order against Berry on Thursday by a Los Angeles County judge, according to People.

The judge also ordered temporarily modified visitation and ruled that partial custody is to be “continued to maintain communication between [Berry] and [Maceo],” the outlet reports.

For now, Berry’s visitation with her son can reportedly take place on Mondays and Tuesdays between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The temporary restraining order will be in effect until a hearing on Oct. 16.

In his request for a restraining order, Martinez alleged that there have been “other instances of abuse over the course of the last few years. These other incidents involved additional physical attacks against our son, as well as verbal and emotional abuse from Petitioner to me,” Variety reports.

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Berry and Martinez, who first met while making the 2012 film Dark Tide, tied the knot in July 2013. They welcomed their son Maceo three months after their wedding. By October 2015, Martinez and Berry separated after two years of marriage.

The actors released a joint statement at the time, announcing their divorce a day after Berry filed a divorce petition under a pseudonym.

Martinez filed his own petition after Berry and they both cited irreconcilable differences for their breakup.

“It is with a heavy heart that we have come to the decision to divorce,” the actors wrote in a joint statement. “We move forward with love and respect for one another and the shared focus of what is best for our son. We wish each other nothing but happiness in life and we hope that you respect our and, most importantly, our children’s privacy as we go through this difficult period.”

Their divorce was finalized in August 2023 after an eight-year legal battle. They both agreed to joint legal and physical custody of their son and Berry agreed to pay Martinez $8,000 a month in child support.

—With files from The Associated Press

Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s partner, Ken Urker, was found dead on a bed with drug paraphernalia next to him at the couple’s Louisiana home, authorities confirmed Friday.

Deputies responded to a home in Raceland, around 6:15 p.m., on Oct. 1, where Urker was found “dead upon arrival,” the Laforche Sheriff’s Office told Global News in a statement.

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“We are continuing the death investigation. To this point in the investigation, we have found no evidence of foul play,” investigators said, without giving a cause of death.

Deputies called to Urker’s residence found “syringes and a spoon in the bathroom next to a brown powdery substance.”

They also located a syringe and a handgun on the nightstand next to the bed where Urker was lying.

The 34-year-old father of one was found on his back, cold to the touch, and appeared to have been there for an extended period of time, police said.

His face and his arms were blue, investigators added, and he had a paper towel placed on his left arm with what appeared to be blotches of blood on the paper towel.

Blanchard, 35, told People Magazine that she believed Urker, with whom she shares an almost two-year-old daughter, had overdosed, the outlet reported.

“I don’t know if it was intentional or not,” she said, adding that he had “not been in a good state of mind lately,” and was subjected to intense online criticism.

“Ken endured an unimaginable level of public scrutiny and relentless cyberbullying across social media platforms, including TikTok and Reddit,” she told the U.S. outlet.

“The cruelty directed toward him was something no human being should have to endure.”

“I believe the tremendous weight of that scrutiny and harassment had a profound impact on him, and I hope his passing serves as a reminder that there is a real person behind every screen, every headline, and every comment.”

“I’m in disbelief. I can’t think,” she added. “I’ve screamed until my throat burns.”

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Blanchard told People that Urker was “an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved.”

“He will forever be my soulmate and my red string, a connection that time, distance, and even death can never erase,” she wrote in an Instagram statement on Friday.

Urker and Blanchard struck up a relationship as pen pals while she was serving a 10-year prison sentence for second-degree murder in the death of her mother, and were briefly engaged in 2018 but went their separate ways a year later.

Blanchard then married Ryan Anderson while she was still in prison. The couple separated shortly after her release in 2023. She and Urker reconciled in early 2024 and welcomed their daughter that December.

After Blanchard’s release from prison, she grew a large social media following and starred in a docuseries called The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Blanchard later deleted several of her social media accounts in what she said was an effort to protect her privacy. In a since-deleted TikTok video, Blanchard said she felt “regret” for her post-prison press tour and apologized “to all the people that I offended with a lack of accountability.”

Blanchard, an abuse victim, was handed a 10-year sentence after she encouraged her then-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn to kill her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, in June 2015.

For years, Blanchard was led to believe by her mother that she had numerous serious diseases, including leukemia, muscular dystrophy and brain damage. Gypsy underwent numerous surgeries, used a wheelchair and an oxygen tank and often believed she was fighting for her life.

After Gypsy’s arrest it was revealed that Dee Dee had fabricated her daughter’s health conditions. It is widely believed Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental health disorder that involves a caregiver projecting diagnoses or inducing symptoms in a dependent.

During her trial, Gypsy admitted that she asked Godejohn, whom she met in 2012 on a Christian dating website, to kill her mother. Godejohn fatally stabbed Dee Dee 17 times while she slept in her home, where she and Gypsy lived together.

During the attack, Gypsy waited in the home’s bathroom with her ears covered.

— with files from Global News Staff

Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in February 2023, which is an umbrella term for a group of rare disorders that most often affect the parts of the brain associated with personality and behaviour, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

There are different types of dementia, and the frontotemporal form affects regions in the front and sides of the brain. Because it causes problems with behaviour and language, aphasia can be a symptom, according to the organization.

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Heming Willis took to social media during World FTD Awareness Week, which is recognized from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, and wrote, “I can’t go through World FTD Awareness Week without talking about Bruce. He is the driving force behind my advocacy.”

“He has opened so many doors for me in this work, and I will continue to walk through them. I will not let his diagnosis be in vain. I know how proud he would be to know that he is helping families living with FTD, other forms of dementia and their care partners be seen and heard,” she continued.

“In this next chapter of his life, Bruce continues to build on his legacy. He is, and always will be, a f—ing legend. And I am so proud to be his wife,” her post concluded.

Willis’ daughter Scout LaRue Willis commented on Heming Willis’ post, writing, “I’m so proud of you I love you so much Emma.”

Willis’ family first announced that he had been diagnosed with FTD in February 2023 in a statement on the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration website.

“Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD). Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” his family said in a statement.

“Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead. As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.”

FTD is caused by damage to neurons, the brain’s information carriers, but the underlying reasons for a particular case are often unclear, according to the Mayo Clinic. People with a family history of the condition are more likely to develop it. It’s rare and tends to happen at a younger age than other forms of dementia, between ages 45 and 65.

Symptoms can include emotional problems and physical difficulties, such as trouble walking. Symptoms tend to worsen over time, though progression varies by person.

Unlike in Alzheimer’s disease, people with frontotemporal dementia often remain conscious of time (for example, what year it is) and memory is not of concern in the early stages.

In the later stages, general symptoms of dementia can arise, including confusion and forgetfulness. Motor skills are lost and swallowing difficulties occur.

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Last month, Heming Willis, who launched the Emma & Bruce Willis Fund for Dementia Research and Caregiver Support, spoke about the ongoing grief her family experiences as her husband continues to live with FTD during an interview with Hello! Magazine.

“It is extremely difficult and painful,” Heming Willis said. “It’s natural, we all want our loved ones to be healthy, full of life and being the person they always were. But FTD is a devastating illness that steals things from you very slowly. So the reality is that you find yourself constantly in a state of grief.”

Heming Willis shared that the family still has a life full of happiness and humour regardless of the diagnosis.

“Just because someone receives a dementia diagnosis – in whatever form – it doesn’t mean their life is over or that the lights have been turned off completely,” Heming Willis said. “There’s still so much fun to be had, so much laughter, and so much connection waiting for you.”

Heming Willis has been very open about her daily struggles as a spousal caretaker for Willis but she said that it is giving their daughters, Mabel, 14, and Evelyn, 12, a “masterclass in pure love.”

“It’s a really delicate balance to strike. Guiding them through something like this – through any serious illness, really – is an enormous challenge. But despite how tough things get, I always try to remind myself that it could be so much worse,” she said.

“At the end of the day, what our daughters are experiencing and witnessing at home every single day is a masterclass in pure love,” Heming Willis continued.

“They see how much we support their dad, how deeply we love him and how we stand by him through thick and thin.

“It’s wonderful for them to see everyone rallying together: family, friends… absolutely everyone has formed a protective ring around him,” she added.

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In August 2023, Heming said she made a conscious effort every day to avoid the “doom and gloom” that comes with caring for a loved one with dementia.

She said she was doing the best she could to take care of Willis while trying to maintain her own well-being.

The model filmed her “care partner PSA” in her car after a hike.

“I know it looks like I’m out living my best life,” Heming Willis said. “I have to make a conscious effort every single day to live the best life that I can. I do that for myself. I do that for our two children, and Bruce, who would not want me to live any other way.”

Through tears, Heming Willis said she did not want people to falsely assume that she is “good.”

“Because I’m not. I’m not good,” she said. “But I have to put my best foot forward for the sake of myself and my family, because again, when we are not looking after ourselves, we cannot look after anyone that we love.

“I am just doing the best that I can, always.”

— With files from Global News and The Associated Press