Fabricated J. K. Rowling tweets about herself in the Harry Potter universe

Last updated on: 12 August,2022 06:51 pm

(Reuters) - Social media users are sharing a series of fabricated tweets and saying they were published by author J. K. Rowling about herself and how she views herself in the Harry Potter universe. Example can be seen here. The seven-tweet thread begins with one that reads: “In the Harry Potter universe, I, JK Rowling, am not a famous author. Instead, I own a lovely little potions shop in Hogsmeade called The Fanged Geranium. Everyone loves the shop – and they love me too! Calling me a transphobe would be unthinkable in the world of Harry Potter!” Comments on the posts include: “Imagine using a fake world to justify your effed up real life bigotry”, “I don’t support her but this seem so ridiculous, wtf. I can’t find these, what day were they written??” and “This twitter thread is cry for help. It’s clear she is struggling. I don’t agree with her stance, but she still is clearly in distress and needs some help.” The Harry Potter creator has been criticized by trans activists who have accused her of transphobia over her comments on social media. While the screenshots in the posts show the correct Twitter profile for Rowling including her profile photo, handle and blue verified mark, the tweets do not appear on her page or in archived versions of her page. The tweets have tens of thousands of likes and retweets, however, and no credible news reports mention the thread (which would be the case if it were authentic). The screenshot appears in a Clickhole article published on Aug. 3, 2022 with the headline: “The Saga Continues! JK Rowling Has Announced That In The Harry Potter Universe, She Is A Universally Beloved Potions Shop Owner Who No One Considers A Bigot”. However, the Clickhole website’s “About” page reads: “Let’s be honest: Today, the average website carelessly churns out hundreds of pieces of pandering, misleading content, most of which tragically fall short of going viral. At ClickHole, we refuse to stand for this. We strive to make sure that all of our content panders to and misleads our readers just enough to make it go viral. You see, we don’t think anything on the internet should ever have to settle for mere tens of thousands of pageviews. We believe that each and every article—whether about pop culture, politics, internet trends, or social justice—should be clicked on and shared by hundreds of millions of internet users before they can even comprehend what they just read.” VERDICT Altered. Author J.K. Rowling did not publish this tweet thread about herself in the Harry Potter universe. Update August 11, 2022: Added comment from Rowling’s representative. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.