According to a report that began circulating in 2014, the Senate in the American state of North Dakota has voted overwhelmingly in favour of naming a new state-owned landfill after US President Obama.
Supposedly, the Barack Obama Memorial Landfill will be the largest waste disposal site in North Dakota.
The report notes that Obama is unpopular in the state and Senate members thought that the name would be a fitting tribute:
‘We wanted to do something to honor the president,’ says Republican State Senator Doug Perlman, who was the lead sponsor of the bill. ‘And I think a pile of garbage is a fitting tribute to Obama’s presidency’.
However, the report is just a work of fiction previously published by the satirical website The Daily Currant. The site is no longer online.
No landfill is to be named after President Obama. And neither Doug Perlman nor Allison Mitchell are listed as Senate members in North Dakota.
On its About Page, The Daily Current clearly identifies itself as satirical and explains:
Our stories are purely fictional. However they are meant to address real-world issues through satire and often refer and link to real events happening in the world
Nevertheless, at least a few politically focussed blogs and forums were apparently taken in by the satire piece and initially reported it – rather gleefully – as true.
Given the amount of fake-news and satirical stories that continually circulate the Internet, it is always wise to verify any ‘news’ reports that come your way before you share them.
Example
North Dakota Names Landfill After Obama
The state of North Dakota has named a new publicly-owned landfill after President Barack Obama.
In an overwhelming 35-10 vote, the state Senate advanced a bill naming a 650-acre site currently under construction after the nation’s 44th president.
Original Source : https://www.hoax-slayer.net/satire-story-claims-north-dakota-named-landfill-after-obama/