An article saying a woman named Mary Jane Robbins killed three people for a an 85-inch Samsung 4K at a Denver Walmart is fake during Black Friday is fake.
The bogus article, published on satirical website The Daily Currant, had tens of thousands of shares on Facebook.
The Daily Currant has a disclaimer, which reads: “The Daily Currant is an English language online satirical newspaper that covers global politics, business, technology, entertainment, science, health and media. It is accessible from over 190 countries worldwide - now including South Sudan.”
“Our mission is to ridicule the timid ignorance which obstructs our progress, and promote intelligence - which presses forward,” it says, adding: “Our stories are purely fictional. However they are meant to address real-world issues through satire and often refer and link to real events happening in the world.”
The bunk article has fake quotes from the woman, law enforcement officials, and eyewitnesses.
It reads: “According to local reports, Mary Jane Robbins, a married mother of two, reportedly wrestled her competitors to the ground before fatally wounding them with a sharpened Phillips head screwdriver.”
The Daily Currant published nearly the exact same article in November 2013 around the time of Black Friday, but changed some of the names and locations.
Some people apparently believed the satirical story.
“REALLY? If this is true, I just want 2 say my thoughts & prayers go out 2 the families of those who lost their lives & the children of the crazy bitch who thought that saving a little $ on a TV was worth taking the lives of 3 people & leaving their loved ones w/o them 4 the rest of theirs. How sad,” wrote one person in the comments section.
