Fake news is like a horrible weed: just when you think you've eradicated it, another pops up somewhere else.
。 The website YourNewsWire published a totally made-up story about actor Keanu Reeves, who allegedly said in Milan that Hollywood elites use "the blood of babies to get high". 。 The story went viral on Facebook with 26,000 engagements. It was posted on the verified
。 The story went viral on Facebook with 26,000 engagements. It was posted on the verified。Your News Wire。 and related。The People's Voice 。 pages, as noticed by。 Media Matters。 Tweet may have been deleted 。 Credit: screengrab/youtube。 YourNewsWire。 By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 。 Thanks for signing up! 。 Fact-checking website
。 Politifact
。 debunked the story saying none of the details included in the 。 YourNewsWire。 article "have been confirmed by law enforcement agencies, or reported by reputable media outlets."。The same happened with the Keanu Reeves story, which was debunked by the website。 GossipCop
。 , another site dedicated to separating fact from fiction in entertainment news. 。 While it's true that Reeves was recently at a motorcycle event in Milan, "he never gave this alleged interview to anyone" and "his supposed remarks can’t be found anywhere on the Internet, except for on YourNewsWire,"
。 GossipCop
。 GossipCop
。 reports. 。 After the fact-checkers did their job, changed the URL and content of the story into an absurd claim about actor Elijah Wood that Hollywood is gripped by a paedophile ring.
。 Credit: screengrab/yournewswire.com 。 Credit: SCREENGRAB/FACEBOOK。researcher Alex Kaplan:
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Tweet may have been deleted。
The story is also currently at the top of search on YouTube if you type in "Keanu Reeves":。
YourNewsWire。
But a cached version of the story is still available:
。
The Facebook posts have also been deleted, but that hasn't stopped other, dodgy websites from publishing the same story as a Google search shows:
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Credit: screengrab/google。
And people are still sharing it on Facebook:。
Credit: screengrab/facebook。