In a message tweeted early Monday, Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson took U.S. President Donald Trump to task for “posthumously pardoning” murderous ‘60s cult leader Charles Manson.
There was just one small problem: Williamson’s tweet (since deleted) was factually wrong. Trump never pardoned Charles Manson. The claim that he did originated with an article published on a satire website a month earlier.
Williamson’s gaffe highlights a glaring pitfall of online satire, namely that fictional content isn’t always recognizable as such, especially when it has been reposted and shared without disclaimers.
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