Margaret Thatcher Dead Hoax Fools Media

The reports of Margaret Thatcher's death have been greatly exaggerated. The former Prime Minister of Great Britain, who has been suffering from dementia for years, was reported dead Tuesday afternoon by hoaxers who opened a fake Twitter account.

Of course, gullible journalists wanted to be the first to report the juicy news, so some of them started retweeting the phony posting, without double-checking its veracity. Does anyone in the press care about the truth anymore?

The culprit behind the fake tweet may be Gary Potter, a popular radio host from the United Kingdom. At least, he is the one taking the credit for the low-class hoax.

"Yes. We created the Thatcher Hoax. Here's our phone number (redacted), now f*** off!" Potter posted online.

Unlike some of the other famous Twitter death hoaxes, this one is totally believable, so you have to cut these journalists some slack. After all, Thatcher is 86 years old, and her dementia is allegedly so severe, she doesn't even know who current Prime Minister David Cameron is.

With the advent of social media, any prankster with a modem can reach potentially millions of people in seconds. By the time people are able to sort fact from fiction, the lie has already traveled around the world several times.

Join the Conversation	You are following this conversation | stop following follow this conversation by email