A 3,000 pound great white shark was caught by a fisherman in the Great Lakes is fake news. There was no truth to a report that a fisherman captured of a great white shark in Lake Michigan.
Where did this fake news originate? World News Daily Report (WNDR) published an article on June 20, 2016, reporting that John O’Keefe, a Canadian tourist and fisherman, made an astounding catch, pulling a a 3,000-lb. great white shark out of the waters of Lake Michigan. You can read text of the fake story below.
The capture of a 3,000-pound great white shark in Lake Michigan yesterday could explain the disappearance of hundreds of missing people in the region in the last decade, has confirmed the U.S. Coast Guard this morning.
John O’Keefe, a Canadian tourist, captured the 3,000-pound beast while fishing for sturgeon in Michigan Lake.
“We reeled in the beast for a good 4-5 hours before we finally shot it and wounded it to the head” explains the Toronto resident on vacation.
“Luckily, I had my rifle in hand, or else this prize fish would’ve never been caught” claims his friend, a long-time resident of Chicago, Allan Brooks.
The article further suggested that the Great Lakes shark was suspected in a number of unexplained disappearances. These incidents allegedly went unreported by the media because they might adversely impact tourism. You can see text from that part of the fake story below.
Authorities suspect that more than a hundred people reported missing in the area in the last decade may have fallen under the fangs of the gigantic beast, several local residents even suspecting its presence for a long time.
“I’ve owned this campground for the past seventeen years” explains local entrepreneur, Robert Helm.
“I’ve had my load of visitors disappearing mysteriously over the years, but I was told not to say anything about it. People would check in, but they wouldn’t check out,” he recalls. “Nobody ever believed me anyway and it would’ve scared away the tourists,” he told local reporters.
“It would’ve been bad for business in town” he adds, visibly relieved since the capture of the large creature.
Here are some examples of people sharing the fake news on social media.
#Fisherman Captures 3,000-Pound #GreatWhite #Shark in #GreatLakes https://t.co/QIt4FF0YEy #LakeMichigan #Minnesota #Illinois #Michigan
— SueBarko (@SueBarko) May 28, 2017
Well this is FRIGHTENING @JLNKShow A 3000 lb Shark, caught in Lake Michigan! https://t.co/lIaYRcK4lQ
— AllMikedUp (@AII_Miked_Up) May 28, 2017
SO APPARENTLY someone caught a mf 3,000 pound great white shark in lake michigan HAHA goodbye!!!
— Liz (@lizzpiee) May 27, 2017
3,000-Pound Great White Shark Captured in Great Lakes https://t.co/g2HZNFkCQU
— BassTity➡️nectar
(@nikkiskowron) April 14, 2017
However, there is no truth to this report, according to Snopes. Great white sharks cannot swim in freshwater lakes, and the image used by World News Daily Report to illustrate their fabrication dates to at least 2013 and thus is clearly unconnected to any shark capture occurring in June 2016.
World News Daily Report creates fake and outrageous stories published alongside unrelated photographs, racking up ad revenue via social media shares. However, the site’s disclaimer does clearly state that WNDR‘s articles are “satirical” and “fictional.”
WNDR assumes however all responsibility for the satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content. All characters appearing in the articles in this website — even those based on real people — are entirely fictional and any resemblance between them and any persons, living, dead, or undead is purely a miracle.
What did you think of the fake news about a 3,000 pound great shark being caught by a fisherman? Did you believe the story or see it being shared falsely on social media? Let us know in the comments section.
Source: B2C
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