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SF Weekly runs fake story on steriods

Blogger Josh Wolf admits he was fooled by a fake story in the SF Weekly about Barry Bonds’ steroid use. The story headlined “Steroids Confidential” by Nic Foit and Ira Tes (anagram for “steroid fanatic”) does not include a disclaimer or note at the end saying it was satire. The story quotes a Marion Leftwich, who supposedly shared a cell with Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Anderson, in federal prison in the East Bay city of Dublin. Wolf, who served seven months in the same prison for refusing to surrender a videotape of a political protest, says he got to know Anderson in prison and never heard him talk about the things Leftwich quoted him as saying. Wolf said he even got a call from an AP reporter asking him about Leftwich. Wolf said he finally called the SF Weekly, which confirmed the story was a fake. Wolf writes, “Satire is an integral part of the press, but it is of critical importance that readers are able to recognize where the ‘real news’ ends and the fiction begins.”

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