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brentspeak

(18,290 posts) Sun Dec 23, 2012, 04:10 PM Dec 2012

UPDATE: NY Post admits Ryan Lanza Facebook "interview" was a fake

Last edited Sun Dec 23, 2012, 05:33 PM - Edit history (7)

UPDATE: Candice M. Giove, the New York Post's assigned reporter to smear the Occupy Wall Street protests (http://gawker.com/5856859/reporter-survives-near+death-experience-a-night-at-occupy-wall-street), tries to weasel out of her Ryan Lanza hoax, claiming she was punked by an imposter: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/killer_bro_miss_him_UBnKkkMyeD6oCL13RIWiAL

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Previously: The NY Post (exemplar of quality journalism) reported that it had a Facebook chat with Ryan Lanza, older brother of Newtown mass murderer Adam Lanza:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/killer_bro_miss_him_UBnKkkMyeD6oCL13RIWiAL

Ryan Lanza mourns Newtown shooter sibling and mom, claims he's a victim

By CANDICE M. GIOVE
Last Updated: 12:51 PM, December 23, 2012
Posted: 1:25 AM, December 23, 2012

Newtown killer Adam Lanza, who shot dead his mother, six other adults and 20 children, is badly missed by his brother.

“I am a victim,” Ryan Lanza, 24, told The Post yesterday in a Facebook chat. “I loss [sic] my mom and brother.”

In a Facebook photo tribute, Ryan Lanza shared a smiling image of his younger brother, Adam (top photo), lounging in a long-sleeved shirt and a pullover tee.

“R.I.P.,” he wrote.

“I will miss you bro. I will always love you as long as I live,” Lanza posted.

There's only one problem with this: Ryan Lanza's Facebook profile has been disabled since December 14. The two photos of his brother and mother? Common images already posted by news sources on the Web since last week. If the NY Post really did have some sort of Facebook chat with "Ryan Lanza", it was with a fake Ryan Lanza.

Stupidly enough, the Post's story has been picked up and regurgitated as fact by a host of other websites, including even the Huffington Post and the Telegraph UK.

Gossip site TMZ has, of course, also posted this hoax story. But if you're dumb enough to read TMZ, you should be given a pass in believing the NY Post story to be true.

13 replies

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Highlight:

UPDATE: NY Post admits Ryan Lanza Facebook "interview" was a fake (Original Post) brentspeak Dec 2012 OP

I suspected as much. The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2012 #1

I've known some bible grads from the rural south Warpy Dec 2012 #2

Way out of character for upper middle class Connecticut. Jennicut Dec 2012 #12

I had hoped that the real Ryan had much better grammar and spelling, esp considering his Nay Dec 2012 #5

I don't think the image is actually that of Adam. LisaL Dec 2012 #3

I think so too... Drunken Irishman Dec 2012 #9

the hoax thread got more responses than yours, too. HiPointDem Dec 2012 #4

UPDATE: NY Post admits Ryan Lanza "interview" was a fake brentspeak Dec 2012 #6

Quelle surprise. The NY Post is such a rag. The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2012 #7

To quote Velveteen Ocelot, "Quelle surprise" n/t Catherina Dec 2012 #8

WOW! A Murdoch "journalistic" enterprise if totally full of shit? 11 Bravo Dec 2012 #10

... alp227 Dec 2012 #11

Kick so people see this. Beaverhausen Dec 2012 #13

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,829 posts)

1. I suspected as much.

Reply to brentspeak (Original post)

Sun Dec 23, 2012, 04:17 PM

Dec 2012

The bad spelling and grammar, among other things, made it seem suspicious. Ryan Lanza is a college graduate - not that all college graduates are perfect spellers, but this stuff seemed remarkably illiterate for someone with a college education.

Warpy

(111,332 posts)

2. I've known some bible grads from the rural south

Reply to The Velveteen Ocelot (Reply #1)

Sun Dec 23, 2012, 04:21 PM

Dec 2012

who were exactly this bad, but it's out of character for upper middle class western Connecticut.

He'd have had to work at it to become this illiterate.

Jennicut

(25,415 posts)

12. Way out of character for upper middle class Connecticut.

Reply to Warpy (Reply #2)

Sun Dec 23, 2012, 07:25 PM

Dec 2012

I know, it's where I grew up. And to drag Ryan Lanza into this is total crap. He had absolutely nothing to do with what his brother did.

Nay

(12,051 posts)

5. I had hoped that the real Ryan had much better grammar and spelling, esp considering his

Reply to The Velveteen Ocelot (Reply #1)

Sun Dec 23, 2012, 05:13 PM

Dec 2012

private school education. It was indeed illiterate for someone with his education.

LisaL

(44,974 posts)

3. I don't think the image is actually that of Adam.

Reply to brentspeak (Original post)

Sun Dec 23, 2012, 04:25 PM

Dec 2012

It was on Ryan's facebook page. I think this is actually Ryan when he was younger.

Drunken Irishman

(34,857 posts)

9. I think so too...

Reply to LisaL (Reply #3)

Sun Dec 23, 2012, 06:30 PM

Dec 2012

When this was all developing last Friday, I snooped (I'm sure I wasn't the only one) when the name was released and found Ryan's Facebook page - that photo was uploaded to it long before his profile was taken down.