It’s very common for many British newspapers to report questionably sourced and extremely unrealistic transfer rumors as legitimate reports, but fictional quotes? This is a definition of “fake news” that we rarely, if ever see. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, one of the most entertaining soundbites in football, made the perfect subject for an interview quote hoax because of what an affable and entertaining man he truly is.
With the Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona “will he or won’t he” transfer saga dragging out well past the point of excessive tedium, most observers could have used a little humor with it.
Enter a Reddit user named Sarkie, who joked on the message board that Klopp actually told a reporter: “I think tomorrow they will offer a McDonald’s Happy Meal and we get the toy as well!?”
Astoundingly both the Daily Express and the Merseyside paper of record (possibly) the Liverpool Echo published the quote as authentic; without failing to even source or verify its validity. #FakeNews
And you wonder why sports journalism is an industry in serious peril. And why all teams are cracking down so much on media access, as well as becoming more paranoid in controlling the message.
So I made a joke comment on @reddit and @LivEchoLFC wrote an article about it as if it was real.
Fucking journalism in 2017.
— DP (@Sarkies_Proxy) August 20, 2017
Big props to This is Anfield, not only for catching this, but saving the archives of the newspaper web sites who used the fake Jurgen Klopp quote. Both outlets have obviously since deleted the remarks
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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