Maddison Overshadowed By Two Heroes Becomes Eclipsed, Then Erased, Across Five Websites Before The Kettle Boils
Philippa Crane · Media Editor · Reading time: one pint
A match report said James Maddison's goal against Coventry was overshadowed by the returns of Dejan Kulusevski and Ben Davies, and the Herald can confirm the same point was then made four more times.
A Tottenham man sat down at his kitchen table shortly after seven on Monday and learned that James Maddison's goal against Coventry had been overshadowed by the returns of Dejan Kulusevski and Ben Davies.
The Herald understands the claim originated in a single match report, which also noted that concerns over the £137m pair of Jan Paul van Hecke and Mateus Fernandes would be felt "in the cold light of day". No new information was attached to either point.
At the second website, the goal had been eclipsed. At the third, it had been erased. By the fourth, our correspondent notes, it was being referred to in the past perfect, as something that might once have occurred.
It was a great goal, and nobody's even mentioning it. Hang on, I've just read it in four places.
He then opened a fifth website, which repeated the original sentence in its entirety, with a photograph of Kulusevski added to make it appear to be a different article.
The figure of 526 days was cited in all five reports, without variation. The word "overshadowed" changed form on each occasion, and was the only content in any of them to do so.
The kettle was boiled twice during the reading. The man has said he intends to read a sixth account over lunch, in case it has been confirmed.
The goal was scored in the first half.
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