claim: a california family was ticketed after holding a viking funeral at a local lake.
question: was a family cited for a viking funeral on a california lake?
origin: in june 2017, an article from entertainment web site nevada county scooper (also called nc scooper) about a family holding a viking funeral on a local california lake was mistaken by some readers as a genuine news item:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  this story originates from a site that has a history of publishing nothing but hoaxes and misinformation. the web site explains in its “manifesto” that its stories are intended to be read as satire:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  the scooper is a satirical website is in scope and intent. sometimes it’s funny; often it is not. in scope and intent. it provides social criticism in a satirical, sometimes news-genre setting. we are not a “fake news” site, but rather an entertainment one. sometimes it’s just plain-old crappy writing with a few bad jokes. our intention is not to fool or trick anyone, but obviously it happens. we firmly believe that you can soften a person’s willingness to listen by injecting irony, and yes sometimes humor, into the conversation.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  the image purportedly showing the “viking funeral” is, naturally, faked. the original photograph, available via wikipedia, simply shows the shoreline at the california lake:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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comment: reports that a family got ticketed for burning a boat with a body in it originated from a hoax news site.
summary: nevada county scooper's article about a family holding a viking funeral on a local california lake was mistaken by some readers as a genuine news item. the web site explains in its “manifesto” that its stories are intended to be read as satire. "we firmly believe that you can soften a person’s willingness to listen by injecting irony, and yes sometimes humor, into the conversation," the site says.