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Summary: Social media users have been sharing content online that attributes a quote exposing Hollywood elites as pedophiles to actor Mel Gibson. This claim is false; the quote is fabricated.
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| Reference | Pub Date | Authors | Org | Archive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.reuters.com/article/world/fact-checkfalsemel-gibsonquote-onhollywood-idUSKCN24O1ZY/ | 2020-07-23 00:00:00 | Reuters | Reuters | https://archive.is/yLkfV |
| Technique | Description given for this incident |
|---|---|
| T0161.002 Statement Incorrectly Presented as Made by Individual or Institution | Social media users have been sharing content online that attributes a quote exposing Hollywood elites as pedophiles to actor Mel Gibson. This claim is false; the quote is fabricated (T0161.002: Statement Incorrectly Presented as Made by Individual or Institution, T0160.002: Information is False). [...] Some posts use this quote: “Hollywood is an institutionalized pedophile ring. It is a den of parasites who feast on the blood of children. Every studio in Hollywood is bought and paid for with the blood of innocent children.” The comment seems to stem from an article originally published on NewsPunch.com (T0097.202: News Outlet Persona), previously “Your News Wire”. It has since been deleted, but archived versions can be found archive.vn/FyeKl ; and archive.is/SuTTt ; . The article claims that Gibson explained to guests in a green room after appearing on the Graham Norton Show about the “real nature of Hollywood elites”. A well-known actor speaking to a crowd of people about this topic would have gathered a lot of attention and been reported by major news organizations. However, a Google search of the quote only brings up social media posts, blogs and meme pages. The original article including the quote was written by Baxter Dmitry, a possible pseudonym (T0143.002: Fabricated Persona) for an author who has been criticized for writing fake news articles. The website YourNewsWire has also been criticized for producing inaccurate content. Dmitry is still a frequent contributor to NewsPunch. The article has been copied or slightly altered (T0165: Edited Content) and published to other websites and blogs, which has led to the wide circulation of the quote. [...] A spokesperson for Mel Gibson told Reuters via email that the claims are “100% fake”. VERDICT False. This quote attributed to Mel Gibson originated from a fabricated article. |
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