If it’s on the internet it must be true, is the punchline to a joke that is taken to heart much too rarely.
This story about an Ebola-caused quarantine of Purdon, Texas got 340,000 Facebook shares, reports TheVerge.com.
It is entirely made up.
NationalReport.net, the perpetrator of the hoax, calls itself a satirical site — when caught anyway. There is nothing to indicate it as such on the pages it publishes.
And there is nothing funny about its content i.e. Those who had immediate contact with the infected parties, including several children who shared classes at a local elementary school, have all reportedly been transported to the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where they are being closely monitored for signs of illness.
Ho ho ho.
It’s no different than the town jackass phoning in a false fire report to get himself some attention.
It is no different than a Delaware State professor blaming Ebola on the CIA.
NationalReport deserves attention and publicity. The entire world should know that it is the town jackass of the internet. Those affiliated with it should know that it is best to leave off of their resumes any connection to it when seeking new employment.
Purdon Ebola Hoax Spreads Facebook Panic