ABCnews.com.co

Logo of ABCnews.com.co

ABCnews.com.co was a fake news site which mimicked the URL, design and logo of the actual news site ABCnews.com^[1] (which is owned by the Disney–ABC Television Group). Many stories from ABCnews.com.co went viral before being debunked.^[2]

The website's disclaimer page gave the address of the Westboro Baptist Church as its primary location.^[3]

Paul Horner, the owner of the site, claimed to make $10,000 per month from advertising traffic.^[4]^[5]

As of October 30, 2017, the website appears to have shut down.

Examples of fake news stories

ABCnews.com.co promulgated stories about prominent figures and organizations. Examples include:

Anti-Trump protesters hired from Craigslist paid as much as $3,500 ^[4]^[5]
El Chapo escapes from Mexican prison again ^[6]
President Barack Obama signed an order banning assault weapon sales ^[2]
Michael Jordan intended to move the Charlotte Hornets out of North Carolina if the state did not revoke a law disallowing transgender people access to restrooms ^[7]
The Supreme Court of the United States revoked the tax-exempt status of the Church of Scientology ^[8]

↑ Murtha, Jack (May 26, 2016). "How fake news sites frequently trick big-time journalists". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
1 2 "Here's how to outsmart fake news in your Facebook feed". KXLH. Archived from the original on 2016-11-20. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
↑ "Contact - ABC News". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2016-11-20. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
1 2 Jacobson, Louis (November 17, 2016). "No, someone wasn't paid $3,500 to protest Donald Trump; it's fake news". Politifact. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
1 2 Dewey, Caitlin (November 17, 2016). "Facebook fake-news writer: 'I think Donald Trump is in the White House because of me'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
↑ Woody, Christopher (July 9, 2016). "Mexico's government shut down rumors of 'El Chapo' Guzmán's escape with this one photo". Business Insider. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
↑ Routhier, Ray (June 5, 2016). "Katy Perry's moving to Maine?! No, actually. Fake news strikes again". The Portland Press Herald. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
↑ Wade, Peter (March 12, 2016). "Don't Believe the Fake Reports. The Church of Scientology Is Still Tax Exempt". Esquire. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

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