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Fox News Mistakenly Reports President Jimmy Carter's Death

The 93-year-old former president is not only alive and well but has remained active.

Published Nov. 27, 2017

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On 26 November 2017, Fox News Insider, the official blog of the cable station Fox News, reported erroneously that 39th U.S. president and spry nonagenarian Jimmy Carter had died.

In a since-corrected post, Fox reported George H.W. Bush was now the longest-living U.S. president and included a paragraph that read, "Bush, 93 years and 166 days old, outlasted the previous oldest president, Gerald Ford, who passed away at 93 and 165 days old. Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter also died at 93."

Although the incorrect part of the report was removed from the story about 90 minutes after it was posted Sunday afternoon, a screen shot was captured by The Palm Beach Post. The Fox News Insider story now carries the following correction:

This article previously incorrectly stated that former President Jimmy Carter had died. We sincerely regret the error.

Although we were unable to immediately reach his official media spokeswoman, an employee who answered the phone at Carter's non-governmental peace and philanthropy organization, the Carter Center, told us President Carter is alive and well.

Carter has had health scares recently -- in 2016 he was diagnosed with metastatic cancer, but he announced months later that his doctors had given him the all-clear after undergoing treatment. In July 2017 he collapsed from dehydration while helping build houses for the charity Habitat for Humanity.

However, Carter doesn't seem to be exhibiting any signs that he plans to slow down. On 21 October 2017, just weeks after his 93rd birthday, Carter told the New York Times he wanted to help the Trump administration deal diplomatically with North Korea. On 4 December 2017, the former president and Georgia governor will personally sign copies of his forthcoming book at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta. The book The Craftsmanship of Jimmy Carter, is about Carter's favorite hobby -- woodworking.

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Sources

Fox News Insider. "George H.W. Bush Now Longest Living President."   26 November 2017.

Brett, Jennifer. "Fox News Incorrectly Reports President Jimmy Carter Died."   Palm Beach Post. 26 November 2017.

Price, Greg. "Fox News Kills Off Jimmy Carter in Report on Oldest Presidents."   Newsweek. 27 November 2017.

Dowd, Maureen. "Jimmy Carter Lusts for a Trump Posting."   The New York Times. 21 October 2017.

Vejnoska, Jill. "Jimmy Carter to Sign All His Books at Free Event in Atlanta."   The Atlantic Journal-Constitution. 16 November 2017.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who has been working in the news industry since 2006.

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