[JennysCool]

Didn't know if this had been posted as yet. Credit again to most FReepers who almost instantly saw this as a hoax.

[Shermy]

It just keeps getting better, doesn't it?

[Loyalist]

Today's hoax: tomorrow's reality?

[kaylar]

It's not near as serious a matter, but over on alt.fan.tolkien/rec.arts.books.tolkien, a poster posted an account of a review of the LOTR I/ Fellowship of the Ring film. The reviewer not only reviewed the film, he did a comparision/contrast between the film and the book. That's not so bad-except he did NOT read the book, he skimmed an online summary of the book. And unfortunately for the reviewer , the summary he chose to utilize for the review was at a Tolkien satire site. It was very deadpan, and you'd have to read several sentences before you'd catch the parody. So the film critic has been revealed not only as a liar (he claimed to have read the book) but as a thief, who helped himself to another writer's online creation without permission or attribution. Obviously, that's not as horrible as a hoax that could seriously hurt two young girls, but it makes one wonder about the ethics some of our 'schools of journalism' are imparting.

[archy]

According to Oman's story, the show would have pitted teenage contestants against recently paroled predatory sex offenders, all of whom would be released in a remote and wild locale.

Darn. And I was so looking forward to the segment with the cheerleaders....

[Tacis]

See, that's the kind of problem when I read too fast. I thought the lead said, "New York Times," and I thought to myself, "they've never fired anyone for fabricating a story. Hell, if they did, they'd have no political writers." Then, I reread it and saw it was the "New Times."

[Physicist]

New Times L.A. freelance writer Antoine Oman was fired last week for fabricating a story about teenage rape victims Tamara Brooks and Jackie Marris.

Aw, come on. That piece was hilarious.

[Physicist]

...unless, of course, "Antoine Oman" is a fabrication himself.

[Physicist]

Below is the photo they included with the article (caption: "Go, man: Oman gets the boot."). This article is as much a joke--I won't say hoax--as the original article. They are having way too much fun with this to let it go.

(Furthermore, the only two New Times articles that mention "Antoine Oman" is the original article and this one.)

[tictoc]

Oh, man.