The BBC reported Sept. 23 that music star Nicki Minaj found out via Twitter that fans have been scammed into buying tickets to nonexistent shows. According to the BBC, Minaj addressed the fake shows after a fan posted a Twitter photo of fans lining up to buy tickets.
“Wut [sic] concert? Neva heard of it,” said Minaj. “I feel so bad 4 ppl who were scammed,” the BBC reported.
See more about the Minaj scam here on the Phoenix New Times blog.
This debunking of fake information via Twitter is a new twist on the social media and regular media. Recently StinkyJournalism has reported on several hoaxes, fake photos and stories that have originated or spread via Twitter. This doctored photo of Ian McKellen was created joke and posted on Twitter, but within a matter of days, the image went viral. And Time magazine was called out in mid-September for posting a 1976 tornado photo with its 2010 storm coverage — a photo the Time writer found off Twitter.
We also reported when Washington Post writer Jonathan Capehart was duped by a joke Twitter account presented as the account of California’s 54th District congressman (there are only 53 congressional districts in California).