Why celebrity death hoaxes

And that is at the core of what makes fake news work. As with all fake news, stamping out death hoaxes is a complex problem. Communication is instant, so as fast as rumors can spread, the celebrity can debunk them.

Facebook and Google have announced steps to stop fake-news sites from using their ad tools and being spread on their platforms. Spreading fake celebrity death news may not sway the outcome of an election, as some fear happened with fake hard news during the presidential race. But to Lewittes, who calls himself a reformed gossip columnist, such stories can cause emotional harm or career-damaging change in perception.

Group Nine's direct-to-consumer ad product sends brand-sponsored and editorially-curated items to sweepstakes winners. It's created 19 boxes, bringing in seven-figure revenue. This week's Media Briefing recaps the latest earnings reports from four media companies and reviews what they indicate about the current stages of traditional publishers remaking themselves into digital organizations. Starting Jan. Vaccinations will be required. Tom Cruise born : The Mission Impossible star laughed when told in about reports of his death in a fatal plumbing accident.

Cruise joked that he was actually appearing on camera as a hologram, then asked fans to get the message out.

Did the internet get it wrong again? Matt Damon born : The Jason Bourne actor was amazed anyone the news of his death seriously when a story appeared with text that sounded like the lyrics to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. His family took his passing in stride.

George Clooney born : With mega-celebrity comes mega-death. But it seems The American star did not nose-dive in a private plane in Colorado or plunge to his death from a New Zealand cliff.

The actor referred questions about his demise to Mark Twain. Crowe supposedly plummeted off an Austrian mountain.

Don't know how I got there, but the media are never wrong. She happened to be in Los Angeles at the time. Brad Pitt born : Rumors about the death of the Spy Game star have popped up a few times but reports of his shooting death in went viral, prompting Pitt to release a statement saying he was alive. Media: While some of these perpetrators are overtly fake, others can be masterfully sly. For example, many bogus sources post under reputable website names that are only slightly altered, e.

But readers should remain cautious with sources like Wikipedia, too. Family, friends and fans freaked out after reading the article, making it one of the most widely believed false deaths. Accordingly, just as easily as it an spread lies, it can refute with the truth.

Like Wayne Knight, many celebrities have put an end to premature mourning with memorable tweets, often colored with anger or sarcasm. In , Dwayne Johnson, a. In contrast, Russell Crowe sarcastically confirmed his death after a similar hoax tragedy in Austria in We'll notify you here with news about.