Thomas Lukaszuk and his Forever Canadian group held a two-hour event to hand out campaign signs in Cochrane on Tuesday, August 4. Local outlet Cochrane Now reported on the gathering with a headline claiming “Hundreds turn out as Unity Bus rolls into Cochrane.” The article then describes how a “large crowd stretched across the parking lot” as volunteers distributed signs.

An attendee tells a different story.

Mike Meilleur, who appears pictured posing with Thomas Lukaszuk in the article, was in attendance for most of the event and stated perhaps 80-90 people cumulatively attended the gathering. He also shared video from the event indicating no more than a couple dozen people gathered at any given time and a relatively empty parking lot with no evidence of a “large crowd” stretched across it.

The article in Cochrane Now included several pictures, but they were all close shots of small clusters of people. No crowds could be seen.

The Cochrane Eagle also posted a favourable article of the event, but they carefully stayed away from mentioning how many people attended. They only mentioned how a volunteer told them they had handed out an estimated 180 lawn signs at one point. The article also included seven pictures, which never had more than a handful of people within them at a time.

When an impressively large crowd attends an event, media typically will show pictures of the crowd to drive home the point and support the article. The Eagle glossed over the small turnout but didn’t venture into inaccuracy. Cochrane Now clearly exaggerated the turnout.

“Hundreds” is a specific claim (at least 200). “Came and went” can be read as cumulative over time, but pairing it with “large crowd stretched across the parking lot” implies a substantial simultaneous presence. It’s also an easily disproven claim. Photos, video, social-media posts, and independent observers can establish whether the lot was packed or sparsely occupied. The Cochrane Now piece wasn’t just slanted, but it was poorly slanted.

Media outlets substituting advocacy for reporting are becoming more common, and it erodes public trust in all outlets. Repeated discrepancies train citizens to dismiss media reports as spin.

It should also be noted that Lukaszuk was quoted in the article as saying, "Voter turnout will be key in this referendum because the support is there, but lawn signs don't vote."

Odd words for a man claiming he isn’t campaigning in the referendum.