Sinbad Alive and Well, Just To Spite Wikipedia
50-year-old comedian Sinbad has risen from the dead. News of his “death” spread like wildfire when the user-edited online encyclopedia Wikipedia reported that Sinbad had died of a heart attack on March 14. A very jovial Sinbad, however, is alive and well (and having some fun with the whole hoax):
Saturday I rose from the dead and then died again.
Sinbad found out about the false death report from his daughter, who called him while he was on the road performing. He said he quickly received hundreds of sad phone calls, text messages, and e-mails about his passing. It’s good to know that the first thing people do when they find out you’re dead is call you. Apparently you can answer the phone in the afterlife.
Wikipedia is currently the world’s leading online encyclopedia. It relies on its users to update and edit information, which, as you can see, is far from a perfect system. Pages need to be corrected all the time, although most inaccuracies don’t prematurely end people’s lives. The online resource continues to remain popular because of the sheer volume of information it contains, but it is becoming clear that it’s a good idea to check facts before regurgitating anything found in its pages.
Wikipedia is at least taking this hoax seriously. A spokesperson had this to say:
We are currently looking into who made this edit, and have protected the page.
This might even provide a nice career boost for Sinbad. Publicity is publicity. He even got to experience something most people will never get to see: He witnessed how people reacted to his death. It must be nice to know that folks care so much.
| Related Links and Stories:
|
Comments