While social media has been a tremendous tool for deseminating news and learning about the world, its dark side occasionally rears its head, exposing how easily false reports can spread when users want to believe them. Usually, it’s harmless; a blog or fan account speculates that an artist is releasing an album and the speculation quickly gets spread as fact, causing artists no small amount of aggravation as they try to squelch untrue rumors.
Sometimes, though, this tendency can be used for malicious or harmful effects. Today, when a hip-hop fan account posited that a lack of active documents in the LA Superior Court website meant Megan Thee Stallion had “dropped her case” against Tory Lanez (which was really the State’s case, which it could pursue whether she pressed charges or not), the “report” was shared widely by Tory fans seeking vindication for their hero and villifying Megan as a liar.
However, there’s just one problem: The report isn’t true and appears to be based in a lack of understand of basic tenets of journalism (as well as lack of experience with court websites, which can often take days to update). As the saying goes though, “A lie gets halfway around the world before truth puts on its boots.” Both parties eventually felt compelled to respond to the rumor, with a rep for Lanez reaching out through New York Times music reporter Joe Coscarelli, who conveyed the message via Twitter.
“The blog that posted this info is wrong,” he reported. ” I assume the docket hasn’t been updated … The next hearing date is in mid-February.”
a rep for Tory Lanez says it is NOT TRUE that charges against him in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting were dropped: “The blog that posted this info is wrong. I assume the docket hasn't been updated … The next hearing date is in mid-February.”
— Joe Coscarelli (@joecoscarelli) January 21, 2021
Meanwhile, Megan, who was again excoriated by misogynistic Tory Lanez fans, vented more emphatically. “AT THIS POINT IM GETTING ANNOYED!” she wrote. “STOP BELIEVING EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE MF INTERNET. Imagine how I feel waking every day seeing people LIE and turn my trauma into a joke? That whole team figures out ways to create doubt with my story every week and the media eats it up.”
AT THIS POINT IM GETTING ANNOYED ! STOP BELIEVING EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE MF INTERNET. Imagine how I feel waking every day seeing people LIE and turn my trauma into a joke ? That whole team figures out ways to create doubt with my story every week and the media eats it up
— HOT GIRL MEG (@theestallion) January 21, 2021
Y’all can’t tell when shit fake news? Y’all still don’t see an ABUSER picking with me ? The first court date got pushed back bc of the inauguration but I can’t wait until the MF FACTS come out ! Bitch you shot me AND MY STORY NOT CHANGING AND BITCH YOU GOING TO JAIL
— HOT GIRL MEG (@theestallion) January 21, 2021
She also pointed out the frustrating double standards that continue to be applied to her situation. “How tf I get shot now I’m the worlds biggest mf villain!?” she wondered. “Y’all so believe black women and protect black women online BUT WHEN I LITERALLY SAY I GOT SHOT ITS CONFUSING.”
How tf I get shot now I’m the worlds biggest mf villain !? All y’all pussy ass niggas and pick me ass hoes GONE EAT YO MF WORDS
— HOT GIRL MEG (@theestallion) January 21, 2021
Y’all so believe black women and protect black women online BUT WHEN I LITERALLY SAY I GOT SHOT ITS CONFUSING
— HOT GIRL MEG (@theestallion) January 21, 2021
Hopefully, the end of the trial — whenever that is — will bring some semblance of closure to this saga. And hopefully, everyone has learned a lesson about which sources are trustworthy, and which aren’t worth paying any attention to at all.
