Famous Fake News Writer Found Dead Near Phoenix

[DonViejo]

Source: The Daily Beast



Paul Horner, a writer who credited his widely shared fake news stories and hoaxes with President Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory, has been found dead in his home near Phoenix. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office announced the news Tuesday, saying Horner was found in his bed on Sept. 18. Police spokesman Mark Casey said the Maricopa County medical examiner found no signs of foul play during an autopsy. He said Horner was known to have a history of prescription-drug abuse and “evidence at the scene suggested this could be an accidental overdose.” Horner, who was 38, was famous for creating numerous internet hoaxes during the 2016 campaign that wound up going viral, often thanks to Trump’s supporters. He was behind one fake news story claiming that former President Barack Obama was gay and a radical Muslim, and another saying protesters were paid thousands of dollars to disrupt Trump rallies.

READ IT AT AP

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Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/famous-fake-news-writer-found-dead-near-phoenix

[PJMcK]

1. Karma is unrelenting (n/t)

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Accidental OD

couldn't handle the rolling political implosion of his Deity

[Nitram]

10. I doubt the fellow had allegiance to anyone but himself.

He did it because he enjoyed it and he wanted to be famous.

[Raster]

3. Slow roast, baybee-- snap, crackle and pop...

<a href="https://imgur.com/qfCrmDZ"><img src="" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

[ck4829]

4. But Trump and Bolton said Russians are too good to leave evidence, so if there's no evidence of foul

play, then how can we be sure Putinists aren't tying up loose ends?

[certainot]

32. spread this far and wide!

[catbyte]

5. Karma cleaned house, I see.

[oberliner]

28. Huh?

He was a clever guy who showed the RW-ers to be buffoons who will believe anything.

[WhiteTara]

33. all the while, helping to destroy our country.

Not so clever as perhaps evil.

[oberliner]

34. No, he didn't

He was as anti-Trump as can be. The whole purpose of his endeavors was to show how stupid and gullible many Trump supporters are.

[WhiteTara]

36. But being stupid and gullible

it spread through the internet like wildfire. I'd say that was no help.

[PdxSean]

6. Well, the guy certainly knew his audience.

Paul Horner interview at the Washington Post: "Honestly, people are definitely dumber. They just keep passing stuff around. Nobody fact-checks anything anymore — I mean, that’s how Trump got elected. He just said whatever he wanted, and people believed everything, and when the things he said turned out not to be true, people didn’t care because they’d already accepted it. It’s real scary." More here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/11/17/facebook-fake-news-writer-i-think-donald-trump-is-in-the-white-house-because-of-me/?utm_term=.c8c7f2be5f09

Editing to add this quote from the comments section: rossor
11/17/2016 6:24 AM PST
Reminds me of watching the Colbert Report with my brother-in-law during the Bush years. He looks at me and says, "I like what he says, but sometimes I think he's making fun of the President." Welcome to America in the 21st Century.

[MANative]

7. I shed no tears. Nt

[oberliner]

29. Why not?

He was great.

[freddyvh]

8. has the right blamed

the Clinton mafia for this yet?

[7962]

15. Beat me to it

[Cold War Spook]

9. Is he dead?

Maybe it is just fake news.

[PdxSean]

13. Winner!

[njhoneybadger]

11. Dead men tell no tales

[Renew Deal]

14. ⬆️⬆️⬆️

[Botany]

17. +1

Putin's clean up service

[Afromania]

31. nary a one.

[Renew Deal]

12. I dont believe it

[alfredo]

16. I ran a Whois on the fake news articles on FB and much came from Phoenix

[hatrack]

18. What a tragic loss for journalism and what a sad . . .

Nah, nevermind.

[MrScorpio]

19. Fake news!

[underpants]

20. Fappy is dead! I hope he avoids double hell

https://www.facebook.com/fappythedolphin/

[Turbineguy]

21. Dead and

stinkin'

No doubt, somebody will step into his shoes. There seems to be no shortage of people who want to harm the U.S.

[snort]

22. Take this story with a grain of salt...

[bucolic_frolic]

25. You mean ... you mean ... you mean ...

it could be #FakeNews too???

Wow.

[catrose]

23. The headline...

gives me a mental image of Dumbledore's pet bird nosing the corpse.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

24. Here come the RW conspiracy theories.

[yellowcanine]

26. Maricopa County, huh? Have the police checked out Sheriff Joe's alibi yet?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[oberliner]

27. This is really sad news

He was quite clever and illustrated a great point about how people will believe anything and not do basic fact checking if it's something they want to believe.

[ELY08]

30. 0 fucks given

Just saying

[vkkv]

35. PizzaGate guy, I believe... finally some good news.. MAGA! nt

[Bengus81]

37. Aw shucks...Trump going to be a pallbearer??

[Madam45for2923]

38. Kicking!