14 DAY TRIAL // If there's one thing the media is particularly gifted at, that's starting rumors. Every now and again, somebody decides to have some fun tricking people, makes a shocking announcement and, soon enough, a blatant lie is thought of as truth.
False reports about professional star wrestler Ric Flair's death have started to flare up, but you should be warned that it is nothing but a hoax.
A news article about the wrestler's death turned up on the Global Associated News website. “Ric Flair dies in car crash. This story is still developing,” the article reads.
Said report is dated today, July 1, 2013, but what's interesting is that Travelers Today also wrote about the story being fake in February.
Rumors about Flair's death emerged at the time, and it all turned out to be a hoax. At the time, the news outlet mentioned that Flair passed away in an accident on Route 80, between Morristown and Roswell. They also noted that he died on February 9.
In case you didn't catch it, the website has a disclaimer on the bottom. They let readers know that their stories are made up, but they post the warning in very, very small letters.
“This story is 100% fake! this is an entertainment website, and this is a totally fake article based on zero truth and is a complete work of fiction for entertainment purposes,” the message reads.
Apparently, somebody missed this fine print and so this entire conundrum was born.