Based on an unsourced and unverified rumor, an article from fake news website USA Supreme is going viral with a headline claiming Lady Gaga's Super Bowl halftime show will include a 'Muslim Tribute'.
UPDATE: The story is part of a fake news campaign to promote the movie "A Cure for Wellness".
The article is basically a cut-and-paste job from an earlier article from the website Houston Leader and features this paragraph as the main talking point:
According to an unnamed source, in no way affiliated with the singer, Ms. Gaga will be using the worlds largest stage to discuss "a sickness inside us," referring to the polarizing rhetoric that has brought Donald Trump to power, and to speak out regarding "overwhelming support for the Muslim community.
An "unnamed source not affiliated with the singer". That could literally be anyone in the world (except for the people who have any actual knowledge on the subject). If that is the standard needed to report something as fact, here are some other things Gaga will do according to an unnamed source not affiliated with the singer:
- She will descend from the sky in a real UFO
- Her entire show will be in ancient Greek with real-time translation
- She will reveal she has secretly been a Trump supporter all along
Have any other 'facts' like these to offer? Just drop them anonymously in the comments. And remember: only comment if you are not actually affiliated with Lady Gaga. Somebody might be able to fact check your claims otherwise...
The Houston leader article mentions this interview on People as the source, which speculates things *may* get political but which doesn't contain facts or statements to back that up, just speculation. The interview did contain this bit:
"The only statements that I'll be making during the halftime show are the ones that I have been consistently making throughout my career," Gaga said. "I believe in a passion for inclusion. I believe in the spirit of equality and the spirit of this country as one of love and compassion and kindness. My performance will uphold those philosophies."
Does that mean she will have a "Muslim Tribute" or make any political statements? Maybe. But that's all it is: speculation. There is no mention of the words 'Muslim' or 'Islam' in the entire interview. So saying there definitely will be a 'Muslim Tribute"? That's fake news! Yet many people are believing and sharing it according to the Trendolizer graph at the end of this article.
