At the center of every viral fake news hoax targeting conservatives is usually a Hollywood celebrity who is gullible or dishonest enough to spread the lie Typhoid Mary-like all over social media. This week, it was Mark Hamill’s turn to serve as super-spreader for the left, sharing fake news that Florida schools had banned Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
On Monday, Mark Hamill tweeted a graphic claiming to show a “banned book list” for Florida. Among the titles on the list are To Kill a Mockingbird, A Wrinkle in Time, and the Harry Potter series.
Hamill’s tweet was one of many left-wing Twitter accounts claiming Florida schools had banned To Kill a Mockingbird. American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten shared the same graphic, angrily saying that these books have been taught for “generations.”
As a result, To Kill a Mockingbird became a trending topic on Twitter for much of Monday.
But the claim is entirely false. A fact check by the Associated Press — which is no fan of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) — ran with the headline: “Florida didn’t ban ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ as fake list suggests.”
The AP’s fact check said:
CLAIM: The state of Florida banned “To Kill a Mockingbird” in schools, along with a number of other popular titles on a “Banned Book List.”
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. A spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed that the state has not banned “To Kill a Mockingbird.” A school district in Florida’s Palm Beach County removed the title from school libraries earlier this year as part of a review, but later returned it, according to district documents. The “Banned Book List” shared across social media this week is also bogus, and includes many titles that aren’t banned in Florida, according to groups that track book bans and challenges.
Hamill hasn’t deleted his fake news tweet as of Tuesday morning. Twitter has since added its own fact check to his tweet, noting “these books are not banned from Florida Public schools.”
Randi Weingarten has publicly apologized for spreading the fake news.
Mark Hamill is the latest left-wing Hollywood figure to share fake news aimed at hurting Gov. DeSantis.
Horror novelist Stephen King recently apologized for tweeting a false claim that Gov. DeSantis signed a bill requiring Florida students and professors to register their political views with the state. The erroneous claim was based on a false Salon article from last year that recently went viral.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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