An article gaining traction and trust on certain social media platforms reported that an individual lost their job “for frowning during [a] workplace discussion about Trump.”
The company, the man, and the entire story is a work of fiction.
Real News Right Now reported:
The piece goes on to say that co-workers found Green to be a “snowflake” and notes that he did not stand for the national anthem at the company’s Super Bowl party last year.
The story, of course, is satirical.
Real News Right Now, while not clearly marked as satire, has some hints for the reader riddled throughout the website. R. Hobbus J.D., the fictional author of the site, boasts of receiving the “Stephen Glass Distinction in Journalistic Integrity.” (As some readers may know, Stephen Glass was once a rising journalist until it was discovered that most of his stories were fabricated.)
The fictional author Hobbus also claims to have won “The Oscar Mayer Award for Journalistic Excellence” (yes, the hotdog company) and to have written for the 9/11 Commission Report, the New Yorker, Car & Driver, Elle, Nintendo Power and many more.
Other headlines from the site include, “Sophia the Robot Says She Has Taken Control of World’s Strategic Nuclear Arsenal,” “Tractor Trailer Carrying Thoughts and Prayers Bound for Texas Explodes on I-95,” and “Donald Trump Jr. Receives First Medal of Honor in War on Journalism.”
In 2016, NBC reported that the creator of Real News Right Now “insists that what he writes on his website is obvious satire.”
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