Edited and translated by People's Daily Online
Beijing, Nov.3 (People's Daily Online) --Not long ago, Tianya forum carried a post titled "Man with Incurable Disease Kills Eight Village Officials Whom He Believed to Be Evildoers," claiming a young man from Yunnan province brutally murdered eight officials at the local village committee.
This story was quickly reposted on many other websites and forums and attracted great attention of the media and netizens. However, it was quickly discovered that the story was a complete fabrication.
The rapid spread of the story from Tianya to many other websites and forums, including Xiqinhuiguan, shows the dangerous potential for rumors to spread online.
Given that this made-up story was unimaginably strange at first glance, and people can easily find many loopholes after a quick read, how did it spread rapidly online and cause quite a stir in the Chinese Internet community?
Other recent popular false stories include: "Armored Car Robbed near Houyanqiao in Dalian. One Person Killed," and "Middle School Girls in Hunan Kept as Lovers by Local Officials and Wealthy Men. Girls Get Paid 500 RMB per Month." People cannot stop wondering why there are so many rumors on the Internet.
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