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In January 2019, a number of social media users encountered what appeared to be a news article reporting that Mia Hamm, a retired U.S. soccer player, had passed away at the age of 46: One hint that the article was not a genuine news item is that it was rife with spelling errors and typos. The article was published by the web site React365, a prank site that enables users to quickly generate their own fake news stories by filling in a template. Internet pranksters simply fill out a title, a brief description, choose an image, and then React365 spits out a bit of fake news that can be spread on social media. A blank template from this web site can be seen below: A disclaimer on the bottom of React365.com reads This website is an entertainment website, jokes are created by users. These are humourous jokes, fantasy, fictional, that should not be seriously taken or as a source of information. In addition to the disreputable source of the rumor that Mia Hamm passed away in January 2019, readers could have determined that this was fake news by cross-checking this report with credible news outlets. Hamm is a two-time gold medalist and is considered one of the greatest female soccer players of all-time. If Hamm ad truly passed away, news of her death would have been reported by numerous credible news outlets, yet we found no genuine news sources reporting her death.
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