‘Today, the Process Is Faster. It’s Your Brain, a Button, Then Millions of Reactions.’

Steve Martin, after a misquotation of a joke he tweeted was spread by Salon:

Then, Salon.com reported on the story and changed the wording of the tweet. They wrote: “It depends if you are in an African American restaurant or an Italian restaurant.” Clearly, this misquote implies that an African American restaurant can’t spell “lasagna” on the menu. And my name was attached to the misquoted tweet. Other websites, including TMZ.com picked up this incorrect version and for the next four days, and more, it continued to spread and I couldn’t get out of hell.

Winston Churchill once said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” It’s a lot faster now.

Update: Credit for Churchill’s line goes to C.H. Spurgeon, back in 1859.

★ Tuesday, 24 December 2013