Earlier today a rumor was started on Twitter that Deryck Whibley died. BYT retweeted the post and ran this quick mention you can see below. The rumor is untrue. For all those, quick to retweet here is something to remember:
this is about how easy it is for death rumors to be started- comparing how easily information is disseminated through multiple platforms and flipped from person to person.
also -its about how quickly the mainstream media looks for celebrity death news- it literally was one tweet and the express called and alt press picked it up.
Compare this to mark paul gosselaar death rumors when we were kids- there was no way to confirm those rumors- but now, with THE INTERNET it should be easier to confirm those rumors but in RT culture people don’t care.
Think before tweeting.
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Friends of DC music in Las Vegas have confirmed, to much much sorrow throughout our city that Deryck Whibley, who played so many early shows in DC’s punk scene, has died today. He was found at 10:45am by his girlfriend Hannah Beth Merjos.
details to come, we are all still reeling.
http://sweettunez.blogspot.com/
October 14, 2009 at 3:54 pmalso-many kudos to reporters who contacted us to verify the information before running their stories.
who wants to go on a google search as to how many people just ran with it without any confirmation?
I work at a newspaper and I checked the wire right after I saw this… when I didn’t see anything there I went to AP and saw their story. It spread so fast though, when I did a search the Wiki entry for him already had (1980-2009) next to his name. Crazy.
October 14, 2009 at 4:20 pmum, how about “reporters” checking sources and confirming before “reporting”?
Tweeting is not reporting
Neither is blogging
express explains it all: http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/10/deryck-whibley-death-twitter-velvet-lounge.php
October 14, 2009 at 5:45 pmahem
“I’m not a journalist,” Ellsworth-Kasch said. “Journalists can’t do that.”
And YET BYT gets press passes and free tickets to things and get treated like press (and likes to be treated like press)…
Yeah, she’s right, and brave to admit that recreational blogging and true journalism are two different things. They do, however, depend on the same sorts of resources.
To cover this volume of events…how else do you expect BYT to afford attending them?
If no one had press passes to anything, no one could ever cover anything.
This website is constantly covering little-known bands and trying to expose them to the public, and if no one got passes to anything then this wouldn’t be possible.
I don’t know eve from adam, and I certainly don’t have a dog in this fight, but “ahem” needs to get over himself.
Thanks BYT for blogging/reporting/rumoring/whatever you do. All I know is I come here to learn about shows I didn’t know about before and local acts that deserve some attention.
October 14, 2009 at 10:43 pmhe’s from dc?
October 15, 2009 at 12:28 amReally BYT? Propagating fake celebrity death rumors? And you wonder why so many people in DC think this website is amateur. It’s been done- many times- so the writer of this post shouldn’t congratulate himself that much. And dont get me started on the fucking legitimacy of the Velvet Lounge.
October 15, 2009 at 12:30 amVery rad. meanwhile Steve O, the drummer for Sum 41 just directed the video for “Stupid Love Letter” by DC’s very own Friday Night Boys for the Disney movie “When In Rome.”
Evidently cameo appearances are to be expected from a few other DC bands.
October 15, 2009 at 6:01 am@Uh-Huh: But how useful is a site that intentionally lies to its audience? (About a guy’s suicide. Since that’s, y’know, hilarious.)
I didn’t have much respect for BYT before, but now I have none.
October 15, 2009 at 8:23 amI don’t understand about celebrities at all, fake or real ones. Such a significance attached to celebrities one would think they’re of vast importance. I’m really against the notion. Fuck celebrities.
To Alyssa:
If this blog and other media attended events on their own nickel, they would cover more or less interesting ones and skip all the nonsense. Hopefully. So we’re spared all the bullshit.
October 15, 2009 at 9:10 amEddie’s dead, too.
October 15, 2009 at 10:55 amhttp://www.avclub.com/dc/articles/brightestyoungthings-reports-death-of-sum-41-front,34107/
October 15, 2009 at 2:52 pm
This is not true. http://www.altpress.com/news/8051.htm
October 14, 2009 at 3:50 pm