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In April 2017, what appeared to be the regional news outlet Florida Sun Post published an article claiming a tourist from New Zealand had perished in an attempt to take an alligator selfie: Stuff.co.nz reported on 12 April 2017 that the story had been picked up by a major Kiwi news outlet, but did not link to that version, likely because the story does not actually exist. We contacted the Pensacola Police Department, who told us they were unaware of such an attack. Major Andrew Hobbs from the Escambia County Sheriff's Department told us that no one had called them at any point, either: Although the item appears to be a legitimate news report from a local outlet, the site appears to be one of a growing number of regional fake news sites. Outfits such as the Baltimore Gazette, the Sacramento Dispatch, the Salt Lake City Guardian, and the Houston Dispatch pose as the digital versions of hyperlocal newspapers, in order to better dupe readers into believing they are legitimate outlets. The design of the grouping of sites tends to be similar, and their credible-sounding names often further the impression they are legitimate news sources. However, there is no truth to the alligator selfie claim and no legitimate outlet reported on what would have been an extremely high-profile tragedy.
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