One Of The Vaping Teens From That New York Times Article Was Actually Just A Hoax

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So Danger brought us word about a New York Times report indicating that figures show teens love them some vaping. Picture roving bands of teens, vaping on their bikes, rolling through thick clouds of vapor as they search for their next big score. It’s a hellscape that not even George Miller could’ve conceived. At least it would be if part if it wasn’t fake.

According to Gawker, pieces of the initial Times report might’ve been a hoax committed by Twitter user and Huey Lewis fan drugleaf. Here’s the passage in question:

Joe Stevonson, 18, a senior at a high school in Jackson, Miss., said he used e-cigarettes to quit smoking, after the habit started affecting his ability to play sports. He prefers a flavor called Courtroom, endorsed by the rapper Lil Ugly Mane, which is described on websites where it is sold as “a medley of things you might want while waiting for the jury to convict.”

As for whether he still craved cigarettes, “the only thing that’s really missing is feeling like your entire mouth is coated in dirt,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of people who don’t smoke pick them up because it looks cool. But for every person I’ve met like that, I’ve met another using it like it’s a medicine against cigarettes.”

If you couldn’t guess, “Stevonson” isn’t real. Lil Ugly Mane on the other hand is very real (and the song “Wishmaster” is not bad). Leaf took to Twitter to reveal the ruse and give some detail on how it happened.

Gawker reached out for comment and got some email dialogue to find out that the hoax was initially supposed to be much crazier, but was reeled back once Sabrina Tavernise phoned and was “really nice.” So in the end it turned out to be a series of half truths, which isn’t exactly the worst thing in the world, but also not something you want to run in “the newspaper of record.”

Some more digging by the Times and soon this retraction was posted:

An earlier version of this article included the account of an 18-year-old from Jackson, Miss., who discussed his use of e-cigarettes. After publication, the person who had provided that account contacted the reporter and said he had made up some of the information, including the name he used. That passage has been removed from the article.

So it’s a nice little prank, unfortunate that it happened to nice enough folks, but ultimately something we can laugh it. It might actually have an effect either way because vaping among teens is one of those growing concerns out there with the CDC releasing figures that “raised concern among health officials who fear e-cigarettes will create a new generation of nicotine addicts who may eventually smoke conventional cigarettes.”

Until then, lets just sit back and enjoy the time we have.

(Via New York Times / Gawker / Business Insider)

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