Facebook fake-news writer: I think Donald Trump is in the White House because of me
Facebook fake-news writer: I think Donald Trump is in the White House because of me
By Caitlin Dewey November 17
What do the Amish lobby, gay wedding vans and the ban of the national anthem have in common? For starters, theyre all make-believe and invented by the same man.
Paul Horner, the 38-year-old impresario of a Facebook fake-news empire, has made his living off viral news hoaxes for several years. He has twice convinced the Internet that hes British graffiti artist Banksy; he also published the very viral, very fake news of a Yelp vs. South Park lawsuit last year.
But in recent months, Horner has found the fake-news ecosystem growing more crowded, more political and vastly more influential: In March, Donald Trumps son Eric and his then-campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, even tweeted links to one of Horners faux-articles. His stories have also appeared as news on Google.
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My sites were picked up by Trump supporters all the time. I think Trump is in the White House because of me. His followers dont fact-check anything theyll post everything, believe anything. His campaign manager posted my story about a protester getting paid $3,500 as fact. Like, I made that up. I posted a fake ad on Craigslist....
Read more:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/11/17/facebook-fake-news-writer-i-think-donald-trump-is-in-the-white-house-because-of-me/
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