Has Michael Jackson died or is this another social media and Internet hoax? Social Media is reporting his death. CNN is reporting he’s in a coma. And the search engines don’t have a clue what’s going on.
Social Media : Twitter Coverage of TMZ
According to Twitter and Facebook users all over the world, Michael Jackson died today from a cardiac arrest after being rushed to the hospital. However, there is no major news network announcing his death, except for one unconfirmed “EXCLUSIVE” on AOL’s TMZ blog.
In addition to TMZ, the only other real sources reporting that Michael Jackson has died are celebrities on Twitter, and Twitter users retweeting the TMZ story and celebrity tweets.
Lindsay Lohan: NO OMG … sending my love and prayers out to Michael and his family … i feel sick..
Marlon Wayans: My prayers, my love, my heart goes out to michael jackson and the entire jackson family. I pray so hard for them. I’m crushed! Please pray.
Only in a social media controlled world would we see a Twitterized “revolution” in Iran, and the breaking news (or perhaps a hoax) of Michael Jackson’s death. Again, no news outlets have reported on Jackson dying from the heart attack as of 6:20 pm EST.
So How Are The Search Engines Reporting It?
In terms of search relevance and breaking news, even with conflicting news amongst various media outlets and social media, Google has not caught up to the rush of Michael Jackson news. Google is showing only ONE headline in its Google News Universal Search Onebox about the rumored passing of Jackson, with others about his jewelry and one about Lou Ferigno training Mr. Jackson.
Yahoo Search News Shortcuts, on the other hand, is right on top of the news.
Is Google Search lagging in breaking news coverage? Indeed it is. Microsoft BING however, has ABSOLUTELY FAILED in their coverage of the passing of Michael (scroll down).
