In a disgraceful example of clickbait, the Murdoch-owned News Corp site ‘news.com.au’ has implied the terrible death of a whale was the result of cocaine.
Residents in Sydney’s East woke to the appallingly misleading headline “Whale Dies After Swallowing 80 Bags” and were understandably under the impression the mammal died from a big night on the sniff.
In reality, the whale died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags, officials said, ending an attempted rescue that failed to nurse the mammal back to health.
There is, in fact, no evidence any of the bags contained cocaine.
A veterinary team tried “to help stabilise the small male pilot but finally the whale died” on Friday afternoon, the post said.
An autopsy revealed 80 plastic bags weighing up to eight kilograms (18 pounds) in the creature’s stomach, the department added.
Once again, while the substances inside the plastic bags have not been made clear there is absolutely no evidence to imply they were illegal narcotics. And to imply otherwise is unconscionable.
The actual article can be seen here.
