A satirical article saying that “multiple militia members” were arrested at Cliven Bundy’s ranch in Nevada and 16 protesters charged with “domestic terrorism” has gone viral.
The article about protesters getting arrested was published on fake news website The National Report.
“The standoff in Nevada reached new heights this afternoon as armed federal agents began arresting militia members gathered to protest in support of Cliven Bundy,” the “satire” article reads. “In total, 16 protesters taking part in the rally are reportedly in custody and being held without bail on domestic terrorism charges, resisting arrest, creating a public nuisance, and trespassing. County and city officials in the area have not yet released a statement on the arrests or the names of those arrested.”
The National Report has a disclaimer, which it has since taken down, saying it doesn’t publish real news. However, the old disclaimer can be accessed via Archive.org.
“DISCLAIMER: 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 disclaimer reads.
The Bundy ranch article had several thousand shares and “likes” on Facebook on Tuesday.
On its front page, The National Report has articles with titles such as “Biden Nearly Chosen Over Colbert to Replace Letterman” and “Missing Malaysian Airliner Discovered in Benghazi,” which both have no truth to them. The website’s front page article says, “Oscar Pistorius Found Guilty Of All Charges In Murder Of Reeva Steenkamp”--despite the Pistorius trial not having been concluded yet.
-
Associated Press update on Dispute: Rancher inspects cattle after showdown with feds
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada rancher said Monday he’s trying to determine if federal agents damaged his cattle when the animals were rounded up then released in a showdown with angry protesters over a decades-long dispute about rangeland rights.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze said the agency backed off to avoid a potentially violent situation over the weekend.
However, he vowed to go to court to collect more than $1 million in back grazing fees he saysCliven Bundy owes for trespassing on federal lands since the 1990s.
Bundy, whose family has operated a ranch since the 1870s southwest of Mesquite a few miles from the Utah line, does not recognize federal authority on the land that he insists belongs to Nevada.
On Saturday, the bureau released about 400 head of cattle it had seized from Bundy. The operation had been expected to take a month to collect as many as 900 cattle.
The animals were freed after armed militia members joined hundreds of states’ rights protesters at corrals outside Mesquite. Bundy said they were united in defense of their constitutional rights.
“They have faith in the Constitution,” he told KDWN-AM in Las Vegas on Monday. “The founding fathers didn’t create a government like this.”
Friends Read Free