Twitter thinks so - social networking tools do have some cons, one being the viral spreading of unsubstantiated information a.k.a rumours.The actor who has been fighting pancreatic cancer since January 2008, Patrick Swayze, is very much alive, despite some rumors earlier today that he’d passed away.
The Florida-based radio station KissFM started the inaccurate rumor this morning. However, it was Twitter that spread the news rapidly, even leading to Patrick’s Wikipedia page being wrongly updated. I'm glad to see that the page has since been corrected to "Actor, years active: 1978 – present".
The false Tweets forced Swayze’s rep to release a statement:
"This is to confirm that Patrick Swayze did not pass away this morning contrary to severely reckless reports stemming from a radio station in Jacksonville, Florida. Swayze is alive, well and is enjoying his life and he continues to respond to treatment." Lesson learned: Beware of reports that surface via Social networking and online media sources; they have to answer to no one for spreading misinformation.
8 comments
Woah, I got scared there for a moment! Not the BEAST!
May 19, 2009 at 4:04 PMThank god, he was the sexiest man ever in Dirty Dancing...ugghhhh...
May 19, 2009 at 4:09 PMWolverines! Never say die!!
May 19, 2009 at 7:54 PMYou're the man Swayze!
May 20, 2009 at 10:34 AMGood lesson - most of the info on the internet is trash, yet people use it like an encyclopedia!
May 20, 2009 at 11:30 PMAll the best to Swayze and his family.
I've seen so many of his movies; Swayze is like a brother to me. The fact that this happened is ridiculous, how could you make such a mistake? Shame on that radio station!
May 21, 2009 at 10:47 AMSWAYZEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
May 21, 2009 at 6:26 PMI love you Swayze ;)
May 25, 2009 at 1:07 AMPost a Comment