Twitter killed Rep. Bill Young.
Young, who just last week announced his retirement and who was recently admitted to a hospital, is still very much alive. Although "gravely ill," according to his office.
But, according to several tweets -- some from credible news sources -- Young has died.
Except, he hasn't?
Rep. Bill Young (R-FL) has died, he was 82
— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) October 17, 2013
A relative of Congressman C.W. Bill Young tells me the iconic Republican lawmaker has passed away. #sayfie
— Peter Schorsch (@SaintPetersblog) October 17, 2013
This was the case for a while (some of the tweets have been deleted since) until someone decided to actually pick up a phone and call Young directly.
HELLO? ARE YOU DEAD YET?
"Still alive and kicking," the 81-year-old lawmaker had to eventually insist from Washington by telephone to personally squelch the rumor for a reporter at the Tampa Tribune, which had been tipped off by police to pursue the potential bad news.
Oh, wait. That's from last year.
So, this is actually not the first time the media has killed off Bill Young?
Whoops!
For now, his office insists he's still alive. He even got a visit from George W. Bush!
So sorry, I guess my Bill Young retweet was a little premature. You would think the Cap Hill reporter for msnbc would be correct but...
— Ben Jarrett (@benjjarrett) October 17, 2013
Apologies for RT about Bill Young death. He still very much alive
— John Celock (@JohnCelock) October 17, 2013
The lesson here is, of course, people should tweet whatever they feel like as much as they want until it comes true.
And, look, we're no fans of Rep. Young. But, geez, stop killing him, media!
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