Fake News: Michael Jordan Dead from Heart Attack
In 2015, a popular rumor about the famous NBA star, Michael Jordan was rumored and quickly grew among many fans. The claim had been that the star had died in his sleep due to a heart attack. It made specific accounts from Jordan’s wife, Yvette Prieto. It can be noticed that the original commentator of this rumors rhetorical context was to start a rumor that would grab attention. They used a famous star who was heavily relevant in that time. This claim was first seen in a now deleted article from Cronica MX. However citings and screenshots of the articles claim can still be found on the internet. However, after being carefully examined, it was clear to the world that Michael Jordan did not die from a heart attack and it was cleared to be a prime example of fake news that quickly circulated.
Research:
Because of how famous Michael Jordan is, this rumor quickly became a headline. However, after searching “Michael Jordan dead from heart attack.” Many fact checking websites and videos came up. Snopes however was the most reliable and up-to-date revised source. For a while, many people believed this because of the details used in the authors claim. They used specific details and used his wife as a leading hook to make the claim seem true. Videos also started to pop up that seemed to support such a claim.
A video seen below, was made in order to convince people of this Hoax, regarding the death of Michael Jordan. It is shown to back up the, “Minutes after the paramedics arrived, they confirmed the death of the athlete due to a heart attack.” part of the claim. It is made to believe to have recorded an ambulance driving to Jordan’s home. It also showed a clip of a sports reporter that is recycled in a way to show him mourning and talking about Michael Jordan’s sudden death. Though the video of the reporter is real, it was edited to back up this rumor. This hoax did not last long, but it did hit the hearts of many fans quickly. I did not find any words from Michael Jordan debunking this rumor, however with his presence at following NBA games, it was not necessary to verbally and publicly debunk this claim.
The claim of Michael Jordan having died from a heart attack can easily be refuted with very little research. The star has continued to make public appearances. The claim and video were both easily fact checked and proven to have very extraneous claims. According to Snopes article fact checking this claim, “The dead giveaway that this video was a fake (and the report of Jordan’s death a hoax) came at the 25-second mark, when reporter Rich Eisen appeared on screen to give a tearful goodbye to the sports legend.”.
Conclusion
False news has no boundaries and though some might find these rumors humorous, there have been times where such claims have dangerously interfered with ones life. A false claim about someone death can negatively impact their loved ones. With new A.I enhancements and many video editing software, videos like the one claiming Jordan’s death have only gotten better in their believability.
Being able to access news easily on the internet, social media and other programs is an amazing tool we are lucky to have. However, because of the vast amount of freedom given by the internet, it is easy to fall into someone’s fake news. Being able to identify false claims and refute fake news is an amazing and helpful skill to develop.
Works Cited
Mikkelson, David. “Michael Jordan Death Hoax.” Snopes, 23 Apr. 2015, www.snopes.com/fact-check/michael-jordan-death-hoax/.
Jordan, Michael. “Michael Jordan Found Dead Earlier This Morning”}],“SKYSPORT.” YouTube, 2024, www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Michael+Jordan+found+dead+Earlier+This+Morning. Accessed 8 Mar. 2024.