The banner week for “journalism” continues as the Associated Press has fact-checked something related to the assassination of former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan who was assassinated on Friday, did not tweet about Hillary Clinton the day before he died. A screenshot purporting to show such a tweet was fabricated. https://t.co/eNObjpxxdT
— AP Fact Check (@APFactCheck) July 8, 2022
So what was going around that was worthy of that fact-check? Here it is:
🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/DBCmhoNnpk
— Michael Malice (@michaelmalice) July 8, 2022
The AP has broken the news that the above tweet is not real.
Oh no, @AP pic.twitter.com/dUYX9bq96r
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 9, 2022
https://twitter.com/charlescwcooke/status/1545809413528764420
What would we do without the media fact-checking memes that everybody’s aware of?
CLAIM: A screenshot shows that Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan who was assassinated on Friday, tweeted: “I have information that will lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton.”
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Abe did not tweet this statement, which is a reference to a long-running internet meme. A screenshot purporting to show the tweet has been fabricated. Abe’s verified Twitter account uses a different username and profile picture than the ones shown in the altered image. The Japanese text in the altered image does not mention Clinton, either.
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Well we’re certainly glad the AP was able to perform a journalism on that fake tweet.
No good meme can go unchecked, sir. End of quote. Repeat the line.
— Vapid Surplus (@VapidSurplus) July 9, 2022
— Dennis (Redacted) ¯_( ツ)_/¯ (@grumpy_veteran) July 9, 2022
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