Manchester terror fake news: Daily Express and Daily Star spot a gunman in Oldham
Many are dead in the attack on a pop concert in Manchester. What say the reputable news sources?
The Daily Express has news:
The Express’s sister publication, the Daily Star, echoed the chilling news that a second armed man was at large in Manchester. He was outside Oldham hospital waiting to strike.
And then, having spread a fake news story, the Express realised it was utter balls. Having garnered clicks from tragedy, the paper updated its earlier fake news report.
Wily stuff to make it look as though those reports were based on anything factual. The “Town Council deny”, rather than the paper “admits”.
The Express’s scoop appears to have been based on a single Facebook comment.
The paper notes:
Laura Bailey-Wood wrote on Facebook: “DO NOT COME to Oldham Hospital I’m currently inside… Man outside with GUN.”
Oldham Council wrote on Twitter: “We have no information to this effect at all. Please only trust or share official sources of information.”
Over in the Star, the fake news is no less opportunistic. The paper’s story has now been changed to read:
But the paper’s earlier URL still suggests an armed man was at Oldham hospital. Humans get the update but those news bots keep the scoop high on the search engines. The URL contains no word on fakery.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/616507/manchester-men-arena-explosion-Oldham-hospital-closed-gun-armed-man-ariana-grande
The rewrite in an exercise is bad journalism. The headline is changed but the paper’s teaser still trills:
OLDHAM hospital was placed on lockdown after a terror attack in Manchester – sparking fears a gunman was on the loose.
Jamie Micklethwaite writes:
Oldham Hospital stopped admitting new patients after it was overwhelmed by casualities [sic] from the blast. The lockdown sent Twitter into panic – with many people reporting gunshots had been heard there.
Twitter into panic – and also Daily Star readers, no doubt. In the panic to get the story rehashed, the paper spots lots of “casualities”, whatever they are. Still, nice shot of Ariana Grande’s cleavage. Twenty-two people never made it home from a pop concert, but it’s all about clicks, right. So go for it. Phwaor!
Micklethwaite continues:
Rumours a gunman was on the loose quickly spread.
See Daily Express and Daily Star.
An Oldham Royal Hospital source confirmed they had been placed on lockdown – but due to the explosions at the MEN.
No gunman was at large.
The gunman was an imaginary figure – but he remains very real to anyone who gets their news from the Daily Express and Daily Star.
Posted: 23rd, May 2017 | In: Key Posts, News, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
