Fact Check

Was Clinton Foundation Investigator Kenneth McCormick Found Dead?

A routine review of content labeled satire.

Published April 28, 2020

 (Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia)
Image Via Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia
Claim:
Clinton Foundation investigator Kenneth McCormick was found dead in April 2020.

On March 30, 2020, We Are the LLOD published an article positing that a man named Kenneth McCormick was found dead after he started investigating the charitable foundation run by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

Clinton Foundation Investigator Kenneth McCormick Found Dead

The Clinton body count continues to grow. Clinton Foundation investigator and prosecutor Kenneth McCormick was found dead today in the driveway of his home in South Park, Colorado under extremely mysterious circumstances.

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site’s pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you’re still having an issue with that satire thing.

We Are the LLOD is a website that is clearly marked as satire. This particular article, too, indicated its humorous nature by making several references to fictional characters from the animated television show "South Park." The name "Kenneth McCormick," for instance, refers to a character better known as Kenny, who was killed in every episode during the show's earlier seasons. Later in the article, Stan Marsh and Eric Cartman (both "South Park" characters) also make an appearance. The article even ends with an image of Kenny.

Although this article was clearly marked as satire on the website We Are the LLOD, this piece of fiction was later republished on websites (such as zonenews-24 and Storenewss) with no indications that the content was fictitious.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Sources

Plonker, Walter.   "Clinton Foundation Investigator Kenneth McCormick Found Dead."     We Are the LLOD.   30 March 2020.