An article from satire news website National Report that says Texas scientists were given the “green light to use sex offenders for medical research” is a hoax.
“Hundreds of violent and predatory sex offenders are being transferred from multiple correctional facilities all over Texas to a specialized medical research facility where they will spend the rest of their lives being used as subjects in medical experimentation and testing,” reads the article.
The article has generated more than 380,000 shares on Facebook in the past few weeks, with many people writing comments as if it was real. “Is there a chance we could pass this law in Pennsylvania?? This is a fantastic way to improve medical research,” reads the to comments
However, the National Report is a satire news website similar to the Onion, only without the name recognition.
The website has a disclaimer that reads: “National Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within National Report are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental.”
Unlike the Onion, the website has slightly edgier content that has a focus on more conspiracy theories and political news, and even includes links to hotlines and places where you can donate, like in its article about the fake “Assam Rape Festival” that generated hundreds of thousands of shares.
Another satire article that generated hundreds of thousands of shares was an article about an assassination attempt on conservative rocker Ted Nugent.
On its Facebook page, a person named David makes a comment under an article about the Rob Ford crack cocaine scandal, saying that people “who take [the website] seriously are the ones who really crack me up. The National Post Facebook administrator responded with “you’re not alone on that one David... its the ppl who don’t get it that are such a joy to [mess] with. TY.”
