It's not exactly "how a bill becomes a law," but Dan Shanoff has a nice recap of how in the world a throwaway line became a legitimate (or illegitimate) rumor in the case of Brett Favre potential joining "Dancing With The Stars." Go have a look-see. It's a great indictment of the modern news cycle. Writes Shanoff:
These things happen. And at least all of these outlets cited their sources -- plenty of page views have been generated from far less. But it really is "telephone": An actual piece of reporting gets cited, then twisted ever so slightly. Then twisted again. Then given the imprimatur of a news organization's high reputation. Then picked up by an amplifier. Then repeated often enough -- like a Mobius strip -- that it becomes its own reality. Again, no judgments. This is simply how it works.
For the record, in case you are confused by all this, Brett Favre is NOT appearing on "Dancing With The Stars."
But you can still text [redacted] if you think he's the winner.
