Famous Fake News Writer Found Dead Near Phoenix
Source: The Daily Beast
Paul Horner, a writer who credited his widely shared fake news stories and hoaxes with President Donald Trumps 2016 election victory, has been found dead in his home near Phoenix. The Maricopa County Sheriffs Office announced the news Tuesday, saying Horner was found in his bed on Sept. 18. Police spokesman Mark Casey said the Maricopa County medical examiner found no signs of foul play during an autopsy. He said Horner was known to have a history of prescription-drug abuse and evidence at the scene suggested this could be an accidental overdose. Horner, who was 38, was famous for creating numerous internet hoaxes during the 2016 campaign that wound up going viral, often thanks to Trumps supporters. He was behind one fake news story claiming that former President Barack Obama was gay and a radical Muslim, and another saying protesters were paid thousands of dollars to disrupt Trump rallies.
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Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/famous-fake-news-writer-found-dead-near-phoenix
PJMcK
(22,037 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,173 posts)couldn't handle the rolling political implosion of his Deity
Nitram
(22,803 posts)He did it because he enjoyed it and he wanted to be famous.
Raster
(20,998 posts)<a href="https://imgur.com/qfCrmDZ"><img src="" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
ck4829
(35,077 posts)play, then how can we be sure Putinists aren't tying up loose ends?
certainot
(9,090 posts)catbyte
(34,393 posts)He was a clever guy who showed the RW-ers to be buffoons who will believe anything.
WhiteTara
(29,718 posts)Not so clever as perhaps evil.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)He was as anti-Trump as can be. The whole purpose of his endeavors was to show how stupid and gullible many Trump supporters are.
WhiteTara
(29,718 posts)it spread through the internet like wildfire. I'd say that was no help.
PdxSean
(574 posts)Paul Horner interview at the Washington Post: "Honestly, people are definitely dumber. They just keep passing stuff around. Nobody fact-checks anything anymore I mean, thats how Trump got elected. He just said whatever he wanted, and people believed everything, and when the things he said turned out not to be true, people didnt care because theyd already accepted it. Its real scary." More here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/11/17/facebook-fake-news-writer-i-think-donald-trump-is-in-the-white-house-because-of-me/?utm_term=.c8c7f2be5f09
Editing to add this quote from the comments section: rossor
11/17/2016 6:24 AM PST
Reminds me of watching the Colbert Report with my brother-in-law during the Bush years. He looks at me and says, "I like what he says, but sometimes I think he's making fun of the President." Welcome to America in the 21st Century.
MANative
(4,112 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)He was great.
freddyvh
(276 posts)the Clinton mafia for this yet?
7962
(11,841 posts)Cold War Spook
(1,279 posts)Maybe it is just fake news.
PdxSean
(574 posts)njhoneybadger
(3,910 posts)Renew Deal
(81,860 posts)Putin's clean up service
Afromania
(2,768 posts)Renew Deal
(81,860 posts)alfredo
(60,074 posts)hatrack
(59,587 posts)Nah, nevermind.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)underpants
(182,823 posts)Turbineguy
(37,334 posts)stinkin'
No doubt, somebody will step into his shoes. There seems to be no shortage of people who want to harm the U.S.
snort
(2,334 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,173 posts)it could be #FakeNews too???
Wow.
catrose
(5,067 posts)gives me a mental image of Dumbledore's pet bird nosing the corpse.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,009 posts)yellowcanine
(35,699 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)He was quite clever and illustrated a great point about how people will believe anything and not do basic fact checking if it's something they want to believe.
ELY08
(76 posts)Just saying