Button Hacked and Debunked: Updated

by Terry Saunders on 30/07/2011

As I write this there are news reports flooding over twitter about Jenson Button being in a serious car crash as reported on his official website:

Text states:

“Jenson Button, 31, is in a critical condition after being involved in a serious accident. Jenson was taken to Budapest’s AEK hospital where he is undergoing medical attention. It’s unclear what injuries Jenson sustained during the accident at this time.

Jenson’s team is in contact with the FIA and currently discussing whether he is able to race tomorrow at the Hungaroring.”



After a minute or two of confusion I started to smell a strong whiff of bullshit. BBC News 24 wasn’t reporting it and no ‘real’ F1 people were twittering.


Checking the news article showed a picture of the wrecked car, this was either a sick joke or the most brain dead/insensitive* press person deciding that a quick snap of the crash was needed to add a bit of spicce to an otherwise dull news feed.


Plus the car crash photo was in daylight, Hungary is only an hour ahead of London and if this crash did happen in daylight hours then something would have leaked by now.


The twitter world soon moved into action and within minutes the source of this photo was traced to this story on the Top Gear site (sorry, but you’ll have to try and ignore Richard Hammond’s smug face), dating from 2010.


At time of writing there is no other word from any official sources so I think it’s a fair guess that it’s a website hack (although my geeky self is impressed, it’s a flash site and they seem to have replicated it), or if it is true, someone on Jenson Button’s site thought the news article needed pepping up with an image from another crash to illustrate the point.


Either way I think a webmaster is getting fired tonight.


 


We’ll update this as and when, leave thoughts/info in the comments


 


 


 


*I’m aware that if this does turn out to be true then using a phrase like brain-dead might be more insensitive.


 


 


UPDATE: PS: At least its not this joke again…




 


UPDATE 2: All a hoax, his management have confirmed.




and the BBC is now reporting the story… as a hoax.


 


Relax everybody


 


What larks!

									

			

		


                    



            
    
                    
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                Webmaster
            
        
    
        
    
            
    People still use the word ‘Webmaster’ in this day and age?
    

    
        
    
    
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                Anonymous
            
        
      
        
      
            
      No, unfortunately that’s gone the same way as information-superhighway. But once the word had popped into my head there was no way I wasn’t going to use it. 
      

      
        
      
    
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                Phil
            
        
    
        
    
            
    I have stolen your keyboard image. It will be my new avatar. I love you guys. Hurry up and make a podcast, I need to hear your incandescent rage, as it may soothe mine. 
    

    Good luck on the show Kevin, sorry, but I am just about as far away from Edinburgh as you can get, so I can’t make it. Can you record it somehow? Would love to listen.
    

    
        
    
    
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                Phil
            
        
    
        
    
            
    Sign the petition to get anotherf1podcast to get off their arses and make a podcast: http://www.epetition/comeonboys/hurryupandcastyourpod/thispollisnotreal.com
    

    As for the BBC reporting the story as a hoax, that is true, they did, but it was only highlights of the actual story. The full story required a Sky subscription.
    

    
        
    
    
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