A look at what didn’t happen this week
NOT REAL: Elon Musk Leaves Tesla, Jumps On Financial Tech
THE FACTS: Elon Musk has not announced plans to leave Tesla to start a digital currency company despite a false report circulating online. The report, carried on a webpage made to look like the CNN Tech site, claims that Musk is leaving his job as CEO of the company so he can focus on “Bitcoin Profit.” Links in the story for Bitcoin Profit redirect the user to advertisements or video streaming sites. A similar report made headlines in September and has circulated since then, sometimes with slightly different details. Kamran Mumtaz, a spokesman for Tesla, said the reports are false. CNN said the story and graphics published on the page were false and had been manufactured to appear as a CNN.com article. Attempts to reach creators of the webpage were unsuccessful.
NOT REAL: Dollar General not giving away $150 coupons
THE FACTS: Dollar General is not giving away $150 coupons online to celebrate 135 years of service despite an offer circulating on social media. When users click on the fake coupon, a page opens offering congratulations and telling users they have been selected to take a short survey for which they will receive a $150 store coupon. It then claims there are only a few coupons remaining. Once the three questions have been answered, it prompts the user to share the page on Facebook, thank Dollar General in the comments, and then “like” it. It tells users they just got a $150 coupon, but seeks no contact information. “The $150 coupon circulating on Facebook is not valid and cannot be redeemed in stores or online,” said Mary Kathryn Colbert, Dollar General public relations manager. Additionally, the company was founded in 1939, meaning they have been in business for 79 years, not 135 years as the coupon claims.
NOT REAL: Mexico Reduces Legal Age Of Sexual Consent To 12
THE FACTS: Mexico has not lowered its age for sexual consent to 12, contrary to claims circulating on the internet. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter tweeted on June 30 that the age of consent in Mexico is now “12 for the whole country,” and linked to a false story on the YourNewsWire website making the same claim. Mexico raised its age for sexual consent from 12 to 15 in 2012, according to a review of historical changes to the penal code available online from the Mexican government. Prior to the change, sexual activity involving children from the age of 12 through 17 could still be prosecuted under laws governing corruption of minors, or if consent was obtained through deceit. Those restrictions now apply to children 15 to 17 years old. The most recent version of the penal code is dated June 21, 2018. There has been no new legislation to change that. The YourNewsWire story linked to a Wikipedia page about the age of consent in North and Central America, which in turn linked to an outdated version of the penal code on the Wayback Machine, which preserves and archives webpages even after they are deleted or defunct. YourNewsWire did not provide comment on the story.
NOT REAL: FBI: Clinton Campaign Official Arrested On Child Rape Charges
THE FACTS: A 22-year-old Columbia University student accused of child sex crimes did not work as an official for Hillary Clinton’s campaign as multiple online sites are reporting. The erroneous claims follow the June arrest of Joel Davis, a college student who campaigned at the United Nations and elsewhere against child sexual abuse. He has been charged with having sex with a 13-yearold boy and seeking sex images of children as young as 2 years old. The reports appear to rely on a 2016 photo of Davis wearing a Clinton button and posing with supporters in front of her campaign posters. Some stories label him as Clinton campaign official while others refer to him as her campaign chair. “FBI: Clinton Campaign Official Arrested On Child Rape Charges” was the headline on YourNewsWire and True Pundit. Davis was never employed with the campaign, Hillary Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said in an email. An archive search of newspapers, wire services and television transcripts found nothing to suggest he was a member of the Clinton campaign team. YourNewsWire did not respond to requests for comment and True Pundit could not be reached.