Fake 'New York Times' Article Fools Thousands Into Thinking Elizabeth Warren Endorsed Bernie Sanders

The heavily altered article was shared by thousands of Sanders supporters before being deleted for obvious reasons.

March 1, 2016

Not Available Lead — Image via Complex Original
Complex Original

A super fake New York Times article alleging Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s game-changing endorsement of Bernie Sanders successfully fooled thousands of people on Monday. According to the culprits' best estimates, as many as 50,000 people viewed the faux piece of journalism in a matter of hours. As this all happened just one day ahead of Super Tuesday, that makes this prank (?) a pretty fascinating collision of fact and fiction. The article, dubiously entitled "Warren Endorses Sanders, Breaking With Colleagues," hit Twitter with a special fury before ultimately being removed for obvious reasons:

"An article circulating on social media tonight that is made to resemble a New York Times story and says Elizabeth Warren endorsed Bernie Sanders is a fake and has no connection to the Times," Matthew Purdy, the Times’ deputy executive editor, said in a post for the real New York Times. The prank post was created using Clone Zone, with Gawker reporting that the service "appears to have been created" by 4REAL. The company, described on its official website as a "creative studio" aimed at strengthening "the relationship between culture and technology" previously worked on the official website of the Clinton Global Initiative.

Though an endorsement from Warren (a Democratic Senator from Massachusetts) would have certainly given Sanders a huge inner party boost by potentially stealing some of Hillary Clinton's assumed support, Sanders did manage to land a real (i.e. not fabricated in a well-disguised faux Times article) co-sign this week in the form of Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. Gabbard, who stepped down as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee to make the formal endorsement, championed Sanders as the only candidate with "good judgment" on future military matters.