AAP FACTCHECK – Fake news headlines about the properties of celebrities and politicians being destroyed in California’s deadly wildfires are being shared on social media as if they’re authentic.
The headlines, however, can be traced back to articles published by self-described “satire” websites SpaceXMania and Esspots.
The wildfires in Los Angeles have killed 27 people and destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 structures.
A Facebook post claiming Whoopi Goldberg’s mansion has been destroyed includes a graphic featuring the actor and a photo of a burning house.
“BREAKING NEWS: Whoopi Goldberg’s Los Angeles Mansion Destroyed by Wildfire, Losses in the Millions,” the caption reads.
Other posts include captions claiming actor Kathy Griffin’s estate, TV personality Mark Cuban’s medicine company, the set of ABC program The View and a “Gay Football League Stadium” have been destroyed.
Links provided in the posts’ captions point to various websites on which the stories are presented as real news.
However, the headlines all originated on the SpaceXMania.com subsidiary Esspots.
Like its parent site, Esspots describes itself as a “one-stop destination for satirical news” providing “the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity”.
Headlines on Facebook posts claiming Jason Aldean and Kid Rock would hold a concert for fire victims were also copied from Esspots.
AAP FactCheck has previously reported that Pakistani content creator Muhammad Shabayer Shaukat runs both Esspots and SpaceXMania.
Mr Shaukat said his articles – which are generated mainly using artificial intelligence (AI) – are deliberately celebrity- and politics-focused to drive user engagement and generate ad revenue via a network of social media pages he also operates.
Stories published on his websites are labelled “SATIRE”.
AAP FactCheck, Reuters Fact Check, PolitiFact and AFP Fact Check have previously debunked posts referencing Mr Shaukat’s articles without any label or mention that they were fake.
The Verdict
False – The claims are inaccurate.
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