Hoaxes and Odd News for October 20, 2014

A roundup of what is trending on hoaxes, satire, and odd news for October 20, 2014.

Featured: Banksy Arrested

A hot story circulating Monday morning is the alleged arrest of elusive graffiti artist Bansky in London. Although the story has been circulated and tweeted in heavy numbers, it is a fake report. The story is the product of the false news website National Report. This “satirical” site has been referred to as click-bait by some commentators, as it produces shocking headlines with the apparent goal of high levels of social media sharing.

The fake Banksy report claims that the artist’s identity has finally been revealed to be that of 35-year old Liverpool resident Paul Horner. It also includes unrelated photos and an embedded “news” report, which is also produced by National Report.

This isn’t the first time a “Banksy Arrested” hoax circulated online. In 2013, a fake press release was circulated in which it was claimed Banksy had been arrested. That fake report was believed to have been circulated by an individual. National Report apparently borrowed the name used in this fake 2013 report, which was also cited as “Paul Horner.”

Bottom Line: Banksy was not arrested by London police. That story is purely fictional and comes from the “satire” website National Report.

In Ebola News:

Ebola remains a hot news item, fueling fake news and hoaxes throughout the week. Below are some of the latest in Ebola hoaxes and rumors.

Mississippi Ebola Hoax

A man in Horn Lake, Mississippi called the fire department over the weekend, stating that his friend had traveled to West Africa and was showing signs of Ebola. Firefighters arrived and kept the man in his car and alerted health officials. As he waited, the man told firefighters that the call was simply a joke. WREG reports that officials have stated that those involve will “likely face charges.”

Gladewater Texas Ebola Rumor

Business owners in the Gladewater, Texas area are trying to put a stop to rumors that a local business was shut down in an “Ebola clean-up” operation. Despite the persistent rumors, no businesses have been shut down in the area.

50 Cent Has Ebola

In yet another “satire” piece, we read that rapper and actor 50 Cent has been hospitalized with Ebola. That report comes from the fake news website Celebtricity. The false story claims that 50 Cent contracted the disease from touching a shaman’s “magic stick.” The photo used in that story is actually an image of 50 Cent in the hospital back in 2012, and is completely unrelated to current events or Ebola.

We’re also seeing the fake story that drinking bleach cures Ebola continuing to circulate.

True Odd News

Pittsburgh Deemed “Ugliest Accent”

A tournament by Gawker.com to determine the ugliest accent has been completed, and the “winning” city is Pittsburgh, which beat out Scranton with over 54 percent of the total vote. The contest began with 16 cities which were matched head-to-head in a tournament-style bracket. The finals saw Scranton battle it out with Pittsburgh, which won by a final vote of 10,404 to 8,748.

Not all cities appreciate humorous titles imposed upon them. In 2013, Atlanta was deemed the “most redneck” city in the country, a title which upset some NASCAR fans in the region.

“Crocodile” Spotted on Mars

An amateur astronomer pointed out what appeared to be a “crocodile” in Mars imagery. The formation resembled the mouth of an alligator (although the media has reported it as a crocodile) sticking out from behind a rock formation. The “crocodile” however is merely an unusual rock formation vaguely resembling an alligator’s mouth. In 2013, some internet readers pointed out what they believed to be evidence of a rat and lizard on the surface of Mars. The 2013 rat and lizard, along with the 2014 Mars crocodile, appear to be cases of pareidolia, the interpretation of something vague as being something significant. In this case, familiar-looking rock formations.

Recurring Hoaxes

Same Woman at Three Tragedies

In 2013, a graphic was seen in circulation that claimed the same woman was spotted at three different tragedies: The Aurora theater shooting, Sandy Hook, and the Boston Bombing. The creator(s) of the graphic merely used photos of three different women with brown hair in similar poses and claimed they were the same person. We revealed the identities of the three women, and confirmed they were not the same person at all three tragedies.

Corvette Texting Crash

An image of a horrendous crash is cited as an example of texting while driving. The photo shows a Corvette which apparently slammed into a parked truck. Social media sharing claims that the driver was texting while driving, but the original 2005 news reports make no mention of texting, which was not as common at that time. The social media version also states the man’s head was found in the back seat. Corvettes don’t have back seats.