An article saying that Hamas militants destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is fake.
The bogus report was posted on National Report, a satire news website that often pokes fun at politics.
It reads: “After a bloody week of clashes that has left several hundred Palestinians dead, Hamas has exacted revenge by leveling the revered Church of The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Several hundred Hamas extremists have funneled into the city via a network of underground ”terror tunnels.”
The website’s now-removed disclaimer says it’s not real and should not be taken seriously.
“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 . The views expressed by writers on this site are theirs alone and are not reflective of the fine journalistic and editorial integrity of National Report. Advice given is NOT to be construed as professional. If you are in need of professional help (and you may be if you are on this page), please consult a professional. National Report is intended for a mature audience and not for children under the age of 18,” it says, according to WafflesatNoon, which saved it.
Another fake report last year about RFID chips being implanted in Wyoming residents went viral. The operator of the National Report gave an interview to a local newspaper about the website’s satirical articles.
“We have been targeting Tea Party types recently as they are the most gullible and are willing to spread misinformation across the internet with little/no research,” the operator of the site, who used a fake name, told the Casper Star-Tribune.
He added: “It is our opinion that if a person is too lazy to check for multiple references [or at least one other source] … and they spread misinformation around as fact, then they are to blame for their own stupidity, not us.”
