Dutch paper left red-faced over fake Cruyff death report
A test for a Dutch newspaper's app went horribly wrong after a fake story about the death of 67-year-old Holland legend Johan Cruyff was made public.
The hoax report created a massive stir on social networks in Holland before it was removed.
The paper in question, Volksrant, has since apologised to the former Barcelona and Ajax great for what editor Philippe Remarque described as a "stupid mistake".
Remarque said: "On behalf of Volkskrant I offer my apologies to Johan Cruyff and anyone who has been upset by this.
"The app was tested this morning with fake stories, and a technician came up with this as a way of testing a major breaking news story. By mistake it appeared with this headline."
Screengrab of Volksrant website featuring the Cruyff death hoax.
Psst, Volksrant, a little advice from one online writer to another: You guys might want to try writing about something that actually happened if you want to test something out.
Cheers.
Source: The Guardian
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