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Originally Posted by David70
I can't believe anyone was stupid enough to believe VW was changing their name just in the U.S. and as someone pointed out a quick investigation pointed out they hadn't registered the name.
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At first, many didn't believe it, but VW had tried everything to convince people otherwise. Had this come out on April Fools day, everyone would have laughed, but you can't have an April Fools Joke in March.
Many had reservations about the truth behind the statements of VW's intentions upon the initial leaks. However it was VW themselves who confirmed these lies and said it was not a rumor. Even the news sources that reported the initial leaks made sure to mention their disbelief before VW's own PR representatives (not just one, multiple) had confirmed and purposely mislead the press into thinking the name change was real. They supported the lies with false documentation such as a full press release with official company statements from even the CEO, all to get the stories published. They had intentionally hoaxed the media. This wasn't just a rumor that people could debate but official company statements and documents.
While the news broke a few days before April Fools Day, VW had once again lied and assured the press that this was indeed not an April Fools Day prank despite suspicions.
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Originally Posted by Roadshow
On two separate occasions that day, Roadshow spoke with Volkswagen representatives to confirm its authenticity and received assurance this was no piece of fake news. Indeed, we learned it was legitimate, and published the story. Confirmations from numerous other media outlets grew in tandem.
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Originally Posted by Associated Press
"The Associated Press was repeatedly assured by Volkswagen that its U.S. subsidiary planned a name change, and reported that information, which we now know to be false," company spokeswoman Lauren Easton said. "We have corrected our story and published a new one based on the company's admission. This and any deliberate release of false information hurts accurate journalism and the public good."
The AP wrote a story about it Monday after its reporter was assured by Mark Gillies, a company spokesman in the United States, that it was serious, Easton said.
It was a similar story at USA Today, where a reporter specifically asked if it was a joke and was told "no," said the newspaper's spokeswoman, Chrissy Terrell.
"The company used this fake announcement as a way to manipulate respected reporters from trusted news outlets to get attention for their marketing campaign," she said. "We are disheartened that the company would choose this type of disingenuous marketing."
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With VW confirming the news themselves to respected and large and popular news sources like USA Today, Associated Press and CNN, etc., its hard to not believe its true when word comes straight from the billion-dollar company's mouthpiece with assurances to it not being a joke. The press is normally lead to believe that a company's PR team is to be truthful and sincere as they aren't just random people but representatives of a large company with official information.