An article saying Fox News used a Stephen A. Smith picture in a tribute for Stuart Scott, who died over the weekend, is fake.
The bunk article was posted on NahaDaily.com, a satirical website.
The disclaimer for NahaDaily reads: “NahaDaily is a daily satirical news source. Meaning complete fiction.” It adds: “NahaDaily is completely fictional and is based off of current events in urban culture and entertainment. This is satire and parody.”
The bogus piece was being shared across Facebook and Twitter on Monday.
It reads:
“You know all famous black people look-a-like. No harm, no foul” Said one Fox News commenter on their Facebook profile page. Stuart Scott succumbed to cancer at the age of 49 and Fox News television ran a tribute today in his memory, but instead pictured was ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. “Fox News is racist, bigoted and …made an honest mistake, because you have to be honest these [expletive] do look alike lol” Said one commenter on Stephen A. Smith’s fan page where he reposted the failed tribute.
According to The Associated Press:
Scott worked at three TV stations in the southern U.S. before joining ESPN for the 1993 launch of its ESPN2 network, hosting short sports update segments.
He often anchored the 11 p.m. “SportsCenter,” where he would punctuate highlights with an emphatic “Boo-ya!” or note a slick move as being “as cool as the other side of the pillow.”
Scott went on to cover countless major events for the network, including the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series and NCAA basketball tournament. He also interviewed President Barack Obama, joining him for a televised game of one on one.
“I will miss Stuart Scott,” Obama said in a statement. “Stu helped usher in a new way to talk about our favorite teams and the day’s best plays. For much of those 20 years, public service and campaigns have kept me from my family — but wherever I went, I could flip on the TV and Stu and his colleagues on ”SportsCenter“ were there. ... Michelle and I offer our thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and colleagues.”
In July, when he accepted the ESPY award named for former N.C. State coach Jim Valvano, who died of cancer in 1993, Scott shared what he had learned from his struggle: “When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live.
“So live. Live. Fight like hell.”