Great story.. and yeah, it's a fake. Chaser is like The Onion, sorta.. but down under
They have (or had) a show called CNNNN (Chaser Nonstop News Network Now or something similar). It was hilarious.. they took the piss outta CNN/MSNBC type shows perfectly... you'd have to watch each episode twice.. once to watch the actual episode, and once to read all the funny stuff they have scrolling in the "breaking news" line that seems to be so common now-a-days.