It was a story many wanted to believe: A terminally ill child gets his last wish to see Santa and dies in his arms.
But the Tennessee newspaper that ran it first now says it can no longer stand by the account.
The Knoxville News Sentinel story quickly went viral after it was published Sunday. USA Today republished the column, which was written by News Sentinel columnist Sam Venable. A host of national news outlets gave it additional coverage, including CNN, who spoke to Santa actor Eric Schmitt-Matzen about his interaction with the boy in his final moments.
"When you get to those pearly gates, you tell 'em you're Santa's No. 1 elf, and I know they'll let you in," Schmitt-Matzen recalled telling the boy.
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8 comments:
Wow, he's almost a bigger lier than Hillary!
Good God! So our world has come to Santa Claus telling out and out bold faced lies? Is nothing sacred anymore?
I was afraid when I read this story that it would be found to be inaccurate (it hasn't yet). But I'm also not sure if I should care if it does turn out to be false.
Maybe it's not FAKE news, maybe the grieving parents didn't want this shared with the world. Maybe after some time they might care to confirm this really happened.
this is why, at age 67, that I don't believe anything I hear and half of what I see. Sorry state of affairs when it comes to that.
So the newspaper prints something they didn't verify? Sounds to me like they wanted the name of the child and the nurse and he refused to give them the information. Good for him! The paper has the egg on their face over this.
Just because he won't give details doesn't mean it's not true. If YOUR child just died would YOU want newspapers and reporters hounding YOU for an interview. Maybe he is trying to let the family grieve in peace (which wouldn't happen if the child's identify was known).
The story has been verified to be true. Check the Knoxville News Sentinel. The Santa wants to keep the child's name private for the families sake. 🎅🏻🎄
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