Outline
‘Breaking news’ report circulating via social media claims that much-loved naturalist and documentary film-maker Sir David Attenborough has died.
Brief Analysis
The claims in the report are untrue. There are no credible news reports that support the claim that Sir David Attenborough has died. The false death report comes via a disgraceful fake-news website that is designed to attract site visitors under false pretenses.
Example
Detailed Analysis
According to a ‘breaking news’ report currently being shared via Facebook and other social media sites, much-loved environmentalist and TV presenter Sir David Attenborough has died of a heart attack. The article bemoans Sir’ David’s passing and describes his work. It asks that readers share the post ‘to inform people of the sad loss of a plant and wildlife legend’.
However, the claims in the report are callous lies designed to trick people into visiting a fake-news website called ‘Mac Professional News’ and sharing its bogus material. Sir David Attenborough is not dead. There are no credible news or media reports that support the claim that he has passed away or suffered a heart attack.
The more visitors the site gets, the more revenue it can generate. And by tricking readers into sharing the fake reports, the contemptible owners of the site know that their material will reach an ever-widening audience.
The site publishes or regurgitates an ongoing stream of clickbait nonsense, including false reports claiming that actor Vin Diesel has died in a car accident, that a ‘real-life angel’ has fallen from the sky in London, and that a 600-pound woman has given birth to a 40-pound baby.
Unlike some other fake-news sites, this site does not include any sort of disclaimer that might alert readers that the material it contains is fiction rather than real news.
Fake celebrity death reports like this one continue to be very common. It is wise to verify any celebrity death reports that come your way before you share them with others. Searching a news portal such as Google News will quickly reveal if a claim about a famous person’s death is true. If a famous person does die, the news is always extensively covered by mainstream media outlets around the world.
Importance Notice
After considerable thought and with an ache in my heart, I have decided that the time has come to close down the Hoax-Slayer website.These days, the site does not generate enough revenue to cover expenses, and I do not have the financial resources to sustain it going forward.
Moreover, I now work long hours in a full-time and physically taxing job, so maintaining and managing the website and publishing new material has become difficult for me.
And finally, after 18 years of writing about scams and hoaxes, I feel that it is time for me to take my fingers off the keyboard and focus on other projects and pastimes.
When I first started Hoax-Slayer, I never dreamed that I would still be working on the project all these years later or that it would become such an important part of my life. It's been a fantastic and engaging experience and one that I will always treasure.
I hope that my work over the years has helped to make the Internet a little safer and thwarted the activities of at least a few scammers and malicious pranksters.
A Big Thank You
I would also like to thank all of those wonderful people who have supported the project by sharing information from the site, contributing examples of scams and hoaxes, offering suggestions, donating funds, or helping behind the scenes.I would especially like to thank David White for his tireless contribution to the Hoax-Slayer Facebook Page over many years. David's support has been invaluable, and I can not thank him enough.
Closing Date
Hoax-Slayer will still be around for a few weeks while I wind things down. The site will go offline on May 31, 2021. While I will not be publishing any new posts, you can still access existing material on the site until the date of closure.Thank you, one and all!
Brett Christensen,
Hoax-Slayer
