[NYTr] Media: Hey! It's Friday! Is Fidel Dead Again?
 
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 16:21:44 -0500 (CDT)


Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
The Huffington Post - Sep 7, 2007
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/09/07/hey-its-friday-is-cast_n_62691.html

Hey! It's Friday! Is Castro Dead Again?

by Rachel Sklar

Welcome to "If It's Friday, Then Castro Must Be Dead Again!" wherein we
examine the persistent "Castro death" rumors, heard rumbling from Miami
for the past three Fridays, and which pink-headed Perez Hilton claimed
to have broken "exclusively" two weeks ago. Back then, Hilton promised
that "U.S. officials will be holding a press conference shortly" to
announce the death; that clearly didn't happen, but last Friday, he
stuck by his story, claiming to "stand by our reporting 110%. Our
(government) sources were/are impeccable on this story." Er, okay then.

But still: Hilton isn't a lone voice in the wilderness here. The last
few Fridays have seen the rumor buzzing through Miami, fueled by
businesses that have allowed workers to go home early and parents
pulling their children out of school. According to the WSJ, "calls from
anxious Cuban-Americans seeking confirmation of Fidel's death flooded
the Miami police, the mayor's office, the Coast Guard and the State
Department." All while Perez Hilton drew cocaine dots on the faces of
celebrities and stuck by his story.

What gives? On the one hand, he just published an essay praising Jimmy
Carter and dissing Hillary and Obama, on the other hand he hasn't been
seen in, oh, thirteen months. Is it possible that he could be dead?
More to the point, is it possible that PEREZ HILTON could have had this
scoop? ETP asked a source in the news business (i.e. not Perez Hilton)
what the deal was, who said that they, in turn, were in touch with
their own sources at intelligence agencies (again, not Perez Hilton):

    "Is it possible Castro could be dead without the U. S. Intel
community knowing about it? I suppose. But they have "eyes" all over
Cuba b and its believed his death would unleash a chain of events, big
and small. Something as comparatively insignificant as a hearse pulling
up to a hospital or Government building b a 3-car motorcade moving
quickly b this stuff would sound alarm bells, say nothing of Raoul's
activities.

Which must be why you're reading it on Perez Hilton and not on, say,
the NYT homepage (or in the actual newspaper. Ha! The actual newspaper!
Oh, how quaint!). In the meantime, nothing much to do but sit back and
sing a little Don Henley.

Chronicle of a rumour foretold [The Economist]
Finale for Fidel? Castro Gets Buried In Rumors b Again [WSJ]
Castro Dead: Truth or Perez? [ETP]

Perez, Keeper of Castro's Secrets:
Is Castro Dead??? [Perez Hilton]
An Official Announcement Is Coming [Perez Hilton]
Still Dead [Perez Hilton]

Same Story, Different Year:
Is Castro Really Dead? Who Cares? Not Jonah Goldberg! Corroboration's
For Suckers!

 
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