Benedict XVI Dead? Fake News Fools Media, Politicians

A news claiming that Ex-Pope Benedict XVI had died was reported by several Spanish outlets on July 12.

The reason: A fake Twitter.com account using the name of presiding German Bishop Georg Bätzing had divulged the canard. The now deleted account misspelled Bätzing's country "Deutschland" as "Dutschland." Even former Mexican President Felipe Calderón shared it and later apologised.

The fake account posted an update later, admitting that the tweet was sent by the Italian clown Tommasso Debenedetti, 52, known for divulging fake news.

Debenedetti keeps using the same scam: (1) He opens a Twitter account under the name of a well-known personality or institution, (2) he then publishes some innocuous content, (3) finally he comes out with a fake death notice regarding some celebrity. Benedict XVI has been his target before.

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