Week 6 EOC - Fake News

Fake news is not new news. False stories always find a way to creep into the media. One hoax I found particularly disturbing is the rumor of Melissa McCarthy's death. She is a comedy star, poignantly  known for her plump disposition, however she hilariously uses it to her advantage. People who are overweight are more susceptible to health issues, so its no shock someone made up some crazy fallacy about the actress. "Rumors of the actress’s alleged demise gained traction on Monday after a ‘R.I.P. Melissa McCarthy’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million of ‘likes."  http://en.mediamass.net/people/melissa-mccarthy/deathhoax.html from the same website, "On Tuesday (February 14) the actress' reps officially confirmed that Melissa McCarthy is not dead. 'She joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. She's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet,' they said." Clearly some people have way too much time on their hands. What's worse is that people were actually offended by the hoax. They claimed the fake report was "reckless, distressing and hurtful to fans." How do they think Melissa McCarthy feels? If I heard a rumor that people thought I was dead I would be a little concerned. "Melissa McCarthy, born on August 26, 1970 in Plainfield, was an American actress and comedienne. She died on February 16, 2017 at the age of 46." http://en.necropedia.org/obituary/Melissa_McCarthy Today is February 15th. So apparently this website is claiming she is dead...tomorrow. She did have a response to the false report. She appeared on Saturday Night Live and battled Bobby Moynihan to the death. "She also hit Kenan in the face with a ninja star, which might have been the highlight of the whole thing." http://myconnection.cox.com/article/entertainment/aHR0cHM6Ly9pZGVudGlmaWVycy5jbWdkaWdpdGFsLmNvbS9tZWRsZXkvcHJvZC9mZWVkX2ltcG9ydGVyLmltcG9ydGVkZmVlZGl0ZW0vNTczNDYyNS8=/ If I was a comedian that is exactly how I would have handled to whole situation.