CNN Blows! (True, but scroll down the link to find out why this time)
Early in October, thousands of frat boys e-mailed what looked like a CNN.com Web page to thousands more of their brothers, buddies and buddies' girlfriends. It was an article about a new study that "Fellatio may significantly decrease the risk of breast cancer in women." The story, which carried an Associated Press byline, claimed that the Journal of Medicine had published the study and, in its online form, included supposed links to other CNN.com stories as well as the news organization's copyright. But those who read the story realized it was a goof when they saw that among those quoted were Dr. B.J. Sooner, Dr. Len Lictepeen and Dr. Inserta Shafteer, who says in the piece: "Since the emergence of the research, I try to fellate at least once every other night to reduce my chances.""Intellectual-copyright infringement" (sic) for a parody?
CNN didn't think it was so funny, however, and neither did the A.P. And now the cable news network has sicced its real-life lawyers on the college student who created the virtual mess.
The spoof-or hoax, depending on how you look at it-originated on North Carolina State University's Web space, the Wolf Web, where students can post links, sites and announcements. And not long after it posted, enraged A.P. and CNN representatives called the university's legal-affairs office, charging intellectual-copyright infringement and threatening to sue the writer of the story and, should the circumstances merit it, the university itself.
