So the race to be the first to report Patrick Swazye’s ultimate end at the hands of cancer is on and fierce, with the first victim, the crew out at Buzz Newsroom, falling prey to a bogus tip received from “several sources” that the actor had finally lost his battle. The word from Buzz:
Updated: this rumor, which started on the radio, has been verified as not true from Mr. Swayze’s representation (too bad they didn’t return our calls). This morning our inbox was inundated with email messages from reliable sources stating that indeed he passed away, which is the reason we stated this was a “tip” and with a question mark.
They got the word from a radio station–Floridian radio station Kiss FM–and then passed it on.
Can’t blame them too much, says I; you get information from “reliable sources”, you pass it on. That’s how celebrity journalism works. Reliable sources are only RELIABLE, not infallible. There’s a difference. That’s why most celebrity journalism couches everything it says in terms like “reportedly”, “supposedly” and “allegedly”. So, a hearty laugh in the direction of Buzz Newsroom, because there but for the grace of God goes anybody else.
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