In the wake of Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster, there have been many reports of major casualties, injury and death. However, it has also seen a wave of misinformation come through the blogosphere - particularly on Twitter.
The past six hours has seen the topic of Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of the Pokemon franchise, become a trending topic on Twitter.
"The creator of Pokemon died today in the #tsunami, #Japan. RIP: Satoshi Tajiri. #prayforjapan," wrote Twitter user @xCyrusAndLovato, with many similar tweets following in its wake.
Searches beyond the Twittersphere, however, point to no official reports or verified sources confirming the death of Mr. Tajiri, 45. Nintendo, who have worked with the Pokemon franchise since its video game inception, have since confirmed that none of their company alumni - including Mr. Tajiri - have been injured.
"Thanks for your concern!" wrote @NintendoAmerica.
"During the earthquake, no one at Nintendo in Japan was injured and there was no apparent structural damage."
Additionally, Mauritis Hot reports that Mr. Tajiri "fainted while seeing the destruction done by the Tsunami," but "is not dead."
Twitter has been the source of many death hoaxes in recent years, spreading rumours of deaths for celebrities such as Charlie Sheen, Jim Carrey, Kanye West and Justin Bieber.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Links to where you can donate money to help Japan:
Doctors Without Borders
Peace Winds America
Shelter Box
Save the Children
Global Giving
Red Cross (select their DREF option)
Jewish United Fund
Source for German Organizations
Other International Organizations
International Trustworthy Donation Sites
Canadian Red Cross
Animal Refuge Kansai
Pet Connection
World Vets
American Humane Society
Shouldn't we select "Japan: Earthquake and tsunami" on the Red Cross website?
ReplyDeleteYes. The link's supposed to go to another donation page that has a DREF option, but that one works fine, too.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to stay away from this kind of stuff (as in avoid conversations about it). It makes me depressed to think about it and I'll feel practically suicidal for the next week (don't worry, I don't cut myself, I just feel like I would). I prefer to just enjoy how fortunate my life is and appreciate it rather than worry about others. Of course I'll pray for Japan but I truly want to just leave it be. When I'm an adult I'll get involved in helping out this kind of stuff. Please don't think of me as selfish, though. If there's a fundraiser at my school (there probibly will be) I will donate.
ReplyDeleteWhy would someone ever write that he died? That's really depressing.
ReplyDeleteThis is as bad as the charity frauds happening right now because of the disaster.
I totally agree, Kiku. How could someone possibly have the evil to upset people even further, especially while so many people are dying because of this. To use it to upset people, or to steal from them, that's evil. I mean, to steal from someone by using this to your advantage!? It's cowardly and disgusting.
ReplyDeleteThat's horrid, some people have NO LIFE. Seriously, get a job or join a club or something. Geez.
ReplyDelete