NYT Suckered by Kimmel Prankster
From Saturday's NYT's story on Michael Jackson's not guilty plea on 10 counts of sexual abuse of a 13-year-old boy:
Nevertheless, some fans were clearly hoping for a performance from Mr. Jackson. "He might dance on the S.U.V. again," said an excited Jake Byrd, who works in a tropical-fish store in Chino, Calif. "When Michael moves, it's always a dance."
From today's NYT's Editor's Note on the "Corrections" page:
An article on Saturday about a hearing in which the entertainer Michael Jackson pleaded not guilty to felony charges involving sexual abuse of a teenage boy described fans who came to see Mr. Jackson. They included a man who identified himself as Jake Byrd, an employee of a tropical fish store in Chino, Calif. After the article appeared, a publicist for the ABC television show ''Jimmy Kimmel Live'' said the man was actually an actor playing a recurring character, a rabid Jackson fan named Jake Byrd. The publicist would not reveal the name of the actor, known for stunts that insinuate him into news coverage.