Justin Bieber’s camp denied the teen singer called a girl a “beached whale” at an Australian hotel earlier this month, releasing a statement to Gossip Cop dismissing the accusation as a “complete fabrication.” However, a hoax story recently published by the National Report site claiming the purported girl committed suicide over the alleged insult has reignited the “Did he/ Didn’t he?” debate.
The site refers to the apparently ‘deceased’ girl as Julie Gunn, but this is likely to be a name created for the purpose of the hoax story.
Inexplicably , International Business Times purports to link to a YouTube of Gunn. In fact, the clip reveals an unknown Canadian girl berating Bieber while talking about diets.
Among many glaring signs that the suicide story was a hoax, National Report initially published a revealing picture of a teen female in a short top and panties that would not be published in a news report covering a real tragedy. That picture has now been changed.
National Report also carries a site disclaimer which reads: “National Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways.”
In addition, the hoax story was filled with absurd descriptions and this ludicrous giveaway:
“In Julie’s suicide note she refers to the episode as ‘The day the earth cracked open and swallowed me whole, like a whale … Like a big, fat, stupid whale sucking up krill in the ocean like a retarded moron’. Evidently her self-esteem had plummeted to such a degree that she had neglected all measures of personal hygiene after the matter took place. She was found dead on a filthy mattress wearing the same bikini she donned when Bieber unleashed his verbal vitriol surrounded by a moat of fast food refuse, feces and wine cooler bottles.”
Despite the satirical tone of the Bieber teen suicide hoax story, it has been shared over 200 times on Facebook and over 2000 times on Twitter. At press time, there are 341 comments at National Report’s site, the majority convinced the Canadian singer is responsible for a young girl’s death.
However, the original “beached whale” story has been discredited due to a number of reported reasons.
Helen Robinett , reportedly a Melbourne-based image consultant, claimed she saw Bieber insult a girl at the V.I.P. pool area of the Hyatt Regency Hotel on December 8, where he stayed during the [then] last stop of his Believe tour.
Robinett alleged to news.com.au :
“Justin looked over at her [a girl she claimed was by the pool] and said ‘What are you, Hawaiian or something?’ She said ‘No, I’m not.’ Then he said, ‘You look like a beached whale.’”
The consultant continued, “The girl said ‘Are you serious,’ and he [allegedly] said, ‘You should go on The Biggest Loser. ‘”
A second, unnamed witness subsequently quoted by News.com.au , alleged Justin made a gesture with his hands “to imitate a large belly as he spoke to the long-haired girl.”
However, Robinett didn’t mention this alleged — and if true, very significant — gesture to News.com.au in her original account.
In a subsequent radio interview , the purported image expert added yet another alleged ‘detail’ and claimed Bieber cursed repeatedly at the girl by the pool.
The second, unnamed witness mentions no profanity whatsoever in her version of the story.
As well as the denial by a source close to the teen star and multiple eyewitnesses as per Gossip Cop’s report, Hollyscoop reported that an eyewitness not connected to Bieber’s group who was at the pool on the day, said a female fan tried to access the VIP area, but was refused by the singer’s security guards.
It’s believed the female who tried to access the VIP pool fabricated the accusation.
Hollyscoop’s eyewitness stated Bieber only interacted with his crew and a blonde girl in the hotel grounds.
That girl was later identified as Jordyn Dore, and she has since said she doubts the veracity of the accusation made against Bieber.
The nursing undergraduate celebrated her 20th birthday at the Hyatt hotel on the day in question, and she recalled a very different singer to the purported witnesses.
“The media hammer him, but I think they misunderstand him as a person. He is just growing up and anyone can make mistakes and you learn,” Dore told The West Australian . “He was absolutely gorgeous to me. He didn’t even make out like he was Justin Bieber, he was just Justin.”
As for the National Report website, they might want to consider enlarging their disclaimer.
It seems just as many people are able to believe a likely fabricated accusation that’s been denied amid conflicting witness accounts, as they are a demonstrably satirical hoax .
(Photo: Bieber And Dore Larking About At The Hyatt Regency Hotel On December 8).