Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Washington Post Writer Falls For Fake Congressman Twitter Account

Huffington Post:

Washington Post writer Jonathan Capehart fell for a fake congressional Twitter account Monday night, writing a story based on the hoax @RepJackKimble account (via New York Observer).


"Rep. Jack Kimble" is a fake Republican congressman from California's nonexistent 54th district.


Capehart wrote an article baesd on a tweet the account sent last week:


"Why have the wars cost so much under Obama? Check the budgets, Bush fought 2 wars without costing taxpayers a dime," the tweet read.


Capehart called that tweet a "stunning bit of fiscal ignorance," and went on to analyze the nation's budget and fiscal health.


Overnight, Capehart posted a correction:


[CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION, 1:22 a.m.: The Twitterer RepJackKimble cited below is not a real member of Congress. The budget deficits are real deficits.]


The Kimble account mocked the Washington Post for falling for its hoax.

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