It was a heartbreaking tale of Christmas magic — a little boy who loved Santa died in his arms making one last Christmas wish. And for days, it was one of the top stories being pushed throughout the mainstream media.
From The Huffington Post to CNN to The Washington Post, mainstream media sources across the country repeated the tragic story of a man who claimed a terminally ill boy died in his arms while he was portraying Santa Claus.
First published by The Knoxville News-Sentinel, the story quickly went viral — and it was so unbelievably perfect for advertisers, so-called journalists ate it up without bothering to fact check it.
Whoops.
Turns out, the story is just another example of mainstream “fake news” according to critics — and further proof that liberal media cannot be trusted.
All across the country, media outlets — excluding the The Horn News, whose editorial team chose to withhold the story until the Santa Claus story could be independently verified — are now claiming they no longer stand by the phony Santa’s story.
According to The Associated Press, the story, published in the News-Sentinel on Sunday and picked up by outlets all over the world, was about Eric Schmitt-Matzen, who said he had promised to protect the identities of the child’s family and the nurse who summoned him to the boy’s hospital bedside. In follow-up interviews, Schmitt-Matzen continued to stand by his account but declined to reveal the identities of those involved, according to the News-Sentinel.
In a story posted on the newspaper’s website Wednesday, editor Jack McElroy and columnist Sam Venable, who wrote the original story, said Schmitt-Matzen’s story “remains unverified.” They wrote that they could not determine whether his account was accurate. They say they cannot stand by the veracity of Schmitt-Matzen’s account because it does not meet the newspaper’s standards of verification.
What standards?
— The Horn editorial team
Ho Ho Ho; fake news about a fake person. Surprised? MSM at it again.
Huffington Post had a professor that authored a story about Trump being dangerous. Tucker Carlson interviewed this “professor ” asking for specific facts. This “professional ” could not. His evasive reflective response couldn’t rate a grade “D”, Huffington Post is very bad. The mainstream media are hurting themselves by their FALSE NARRATIVES and FAKE NEWS.
All we get lately is fake news in an effort to destroy our incoming president. Investigation will show there is not credible evidence of this fake news. The Dems don’t realize are crucifying themselves so their future in the political system will be extinct. They were bad enough now that they lost the election big time. Wake up and realize the Dems need to drastically change their positions to include honest hard working people.
DR… The Dems will Never wake up! They don’t relate at all to HONEST Hard Working People! They only relate to cheats, liars, welfare bums, illegals, LGBT nuts, etc. May the demonRats disappear from the face of the earth – the Sooner the Better!
Ho ho ho snopes was wrong the story is true but about a minor so privacy is the key word that stops anyone from getting nosey about the family and their grief but the mm an involved told his side on the news and explained why the hospital won’t confirm that it happened !! As is their right to protect the patient and his family !!!
What a bunch of pieces of shit!! I don’t believe anything they say anymore!! Especially about Russia hacking the dnc and whatever else! A socialist lib who is fed up with the crooked clinton gang gave their info to Wikileaks They ratted out on themselves!! And the media gobbled that and this santa klaus story like a crack whore for a 20.00 bill!!!
Just because the “Santa” won’t give a name or hospital doesn’t mean the story is fake. He may be protecting the privacy if the family just as he says he is!
Does it matter? Whether it was fake or not, it was a beautiful, but sad story. Christmas is more than just presents! Its about Peace and good will towards everyone. Its about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The story hit a soft spot in my Heart – If you have to die, what a way to go!
Merry Christmas!
If you have to die, it should be when you die, and it should be in the arm’s of a loved one. With as many people that live in this world now, it’s not hard to believe that It could have happened, but to put it in the paper and on the net to sell thing’s isn’t right. For the past 40 year’s I haven’t believed the news, as they have always and will remain looking out for their own good. They don’t care about anything but money, just like the Clinton’s. money, mo money, and a lot mo money
Get off the Kool aid libtard
Righto & I was kidnapped by little green men the other night & flown to Mars. Give me a break!
Who brought you back?
Ha! Ha!! You must believe Russia hacked the idiot podesta’s pc!!
Why not? They backed the “Biggest Charlatan” of modern times Hillary the “Hun” in her quest to become President and Commander-in-Chief which if accomplished would have become a “Nightmare”.
Would have been the end of the USA as we know it with her slick sick willie , the illegal phony barry being the dickatators as madam kilary barks out the orders of who to kill or not to be killed.
Top fake news story of 2016:
Hillary Clinton is the most qualified person to be president of the United States.
To the mainstream media: How did that work out for you?
YEAH, SHE’S THE MOST QUALIFIED-EVER-THEN HOW DID OBUMER BEAT HER
Even bummer said that she wouldn’t make a good Prez, that the pot calling the kettle black, and no that not a racist remark for all of you people that get your feeling’s hut so easly
Newsflash 2017:
Chelsea Clinton was a test tube baby.
I’d go along with that! Bill is definitely NOT her father. Web Hubble is Chelsey’s father. You can definitely see a resemblance there!
Compare Chelsea to Hubble’s daughters – one of them looks so much like Chelsea that it’s hard to tell which is which.
Vince Foster would disagree with you… That is why he isn’t with us anymore..
Does anyone remember that ridiculous satire of late 1950’s science fiction movies called “Amazon Women On The Moon” (date 1987)? One segment on it was called “BULLSHIT OR NOT, YOU DECIDE”. Why have American people allowed themselves to become so disgustingly GULLIBLE when it comes to this kind of stuff? Aren’t there ENOUGH of our fellow citizens WHO ARE GENUINELY HURTING FROM REAL!!! TROUBLES than to have them fall for this kind of balderdash? I suppose that this is a prime example of the warning that Jesus Christ gave to His followers when He exhorted them “TO BE WISE AS SERPENTS AND HARMLESS AS DOVES”. What has happened to the quote, unquote “wisdom” that our Lord expected to have? HMMM?
Frankly this Christmas story seems to be one no one actually knows is true or false. Is Hillary well qualified to be President? IN terms of her background in politics and professional service to our country, I would say yes. But her behavior during all those years has been degraded by her actions and what she has said. The media has not properly reported the news but rather actually promoted her for President. At the same time, it has not done its homework on Trump because of his audacity. The fact is that he is a well established and successful businessman who sees the many flaws in the leadership we have had for the last eight years. But Trump won the election and now is embracing people for support that are not the traditional politicians. He has selected some additional military people because they do have a background in politics and world view of adversaries. We are still threatened by socialist governments and radicals who have been at war with not only each other but many parts of the word as well for hundreds of years. we have allowed ourselves to slip backward by not having adequate employment for our people and forcing us to have to depend on foreign countries for our needs, particularly the products we need to defend ourselves. We have moved toward liberalism in our court system for many years, We have strayed from the solid foundation of the Constitution badly by slow efforts until we are opening the door for socialism and the loss of the freedoms on which this country was built. The media has gotten on the same bandwagon and ha led us down a very dangerous path. Now we are faced with fixing the whole mess. People we used to be able to depend on have failed us. we now must turn to other sources for the diplomacy we need to correct the path we have slid into. The media would serve us better to just shut up and let the current elected people sort out the crap and get us going in the right direction again.
SAY WHAT???
The truth!!
Actually, he did verify it with time and date stamped texts that he sent to his friends after it happened because it was so traumatic for him. Protecting the identity of the family is obvious, as well as the nurse who let him in because she could get fired.
Denzel Washington said it best, the news is more concerned about being first than being right. I read the article, it was a tear jerker, sadden to find out it is made up. Tis the season for liars and fear mongers.
When I was a little boy. about doo high
Mamma would take a little stick, and make me cry.
But now I’m big, and she can’t do it.
But Daddy would take a big stick and goes right to it.
That is the reason I don’t lie and cheat today
I Saw a man sitting on the curb the day after the election, he was crying, I mean really crying. I asked what was wrong? He said, “My parents died in an accident 20 years ago, they came back and voted for Hillary yesterday and didn’t stop by and see me.
You gotta love it.
Ray Stevens has a new video that kind of reflect that Grandpa voted democrat and voted for Hillary when he was a conservative his whole life, he’s rolling in his grave. I think it’s called Grandpa Voted Democrat. Funny in an ironic way.
Great story and probably true!!
Maybe the MSM can get the front row seats , and be the first ones to break the news of WW3 that Oldbomber is trying to start!!!
Maybe they can describe their feels and sensations from inside that big mushroom cloud. They probably will be right about it coming from the Russians then. Thanks Oldbomber! Hope your food supplies that you have stolen, and your billion dollar bunker holds out for you. I am sure that will be a great comfort to the millions of people who will be dead and dying!!!
Fake story that couldn’t be verified yet they still printed it in their newspaper and are now back peddling. They could have put a editorial note at the bottom of the story saying the story can’t be verified, but they didn’t.
The media who disseminated this story originally should be ashamed of themselves for adding to the fake news that is so common today.
Who said the story was fake ?? The same people that failed to research Trump’s speaches from years avoe before saying not true !! And to then have the recording come out showing that Trump did say that ???????? the Santa appeared on a ABC newscast and told the whole story and he is not happy about how wide spread it has become as the family is still grieving !! And the story is hard on them and I agree I have lost enough family to know that pain !!!
Some people would find it comforting that so many others share their grief over the loss of their loved one, no matter how or with whom that loved one died.
The mainstream lamestream media has no morals or truth at all………
The mainstream lamestream media has no morals or truth at all………
What i’m hoping for is that some intrepid REAL reporter will collect all the CCMSM fake news, then contrast it with the news from, say, Breitbart, Drudge, & Alex Jones/Infowars, since all three have been named as “perveyors” of “fake news.”
Then i’d like to see how each stacks up against each other, percentage-wise, as to who tells the truth more often.
i’m willing to wager that CCMSM promotes and publicizes more CRAP than any of the three i’ve named.
IIRC, “law” was recently passed making it “legal” for intelligence services of the United States to COMPLETELY LIE to Americans without ANY consequences for that propaganda, too. But that was Infowars i got that info from; maybe they’re bs-in’ me.
should’ve been “purveyors.” Didn’t catch it on my proofreading sweep. i hate typos.
Oh, fer Christ’s sake. WTH in that post triggered the “awaiting moderation” nonsense AGAIN!?!
Kind of like stolen valor; these people must be totally devoid of any self-worth.
Another example of the MSM trying to create a sob story without a grain of proof that this incident actually happened. If it is true it is a real heart breaking story but without proof it is just one more manipulation of peoples’ emotions.