Yikes. WJZ, the CBS affiliate in Baltimore, aired a story from DatelineHollywood.com without realizing the site is entirely satire. The story? That Michael Richards painted his face black and appeared at a celebrity roast for Whoopi Goldberg. It aired twice “in breaking news style,” reports the Baltimore Sun. WJZ ran a short correction later that night, calling the story a “hoax.” Frankly, this producer must be brain dead, because the story and the site are obviously satire. But it does serve as an important reminder that airing random stories off the web without verification, even with attribution, is downright dangerous.
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