This Just In, CNN blog (August 2, 2010)
"Bill Cosby is used to winking at internet rumors of his death. But after another one spread Monday, he said he hopes people will give the hoaxes a rest.
"After false news of Cosby’s death spread by Twitter on Monday - 'Bill Cosby died' was a trending topic on the microblogging service - the 73-year-old comedian called CNN's 'Larry King Live' to prove he still is around...."
Bogus reports of celebrity deaths are nothing new. Mark Twain wrote: "The report of my death was an exaggeration." There's a copy of his 1897 note at www.twainquotes.com.
I was on Twitter yesterday, and didn't see anything about Cosby's death. Maybe I don't follow the 'right' people. I'll grant that information technology makes it easier for silly ideas to spread quickly - but I don't think that social networks have anything near a monopoly on getting stories wrong.
Related posts:
- "'More Than 100 Earth-Like Planets' Found? Well, No: Not Really"
(July 24, 2010) - "Nigerian Scams, Internet Safety, Fraud, and Human Nature: The Lemming Gets Wordy"
(November 17, 2008) - "Dolly Parton Dead? Another Reason I'm Not a Journalist"
(August 25, 2008) - "Blogs, Facts, and 'I Saw an Article' "
(August 22, 2007)
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