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Hoax Alert

Fake News: Obamas Did NOT Promise To Donate All Proceeds From Multimillion-Dollar Book, Netflix Deals To Combat Wealth Inequality

  • by: Maarten Schenk
  • (Mon, 21 May 2018 20:46:14 Z)

Did the Obamas promise to donate all the money they will earn from their book and Netflix deals to charity in order to fight wealth inequality? No, that's not true. Any news reports you may have seen about that originated from a story on a Christian-themed satire website. It is not real.

The story originated from an article published on May 21, 2018 by the Babylon Bee titled "Obamas Promise To Donate All Proceeds From Multimillion-Dollar Book, Netflix Deals To Combat Wealth Inequality" (archived here) which opened:

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Barack and Michelle Obama have committed to donate all of the money they are slated to receive as part of their recent multimillion-dollar book and Netflix deals to combat wealth inequality in the nation, the celebrity politician couple announced Monday.

Obama told the press he wanted to make sure people didn't think he was using his experiences in public service for his own personal gain, but rather for the good of all, in order to remain consistent with his party's platform.

"We talk a big talk when it comes to wealth inequality in our nation, and it's time for us to start walking the walk," Obama said, speaking to reporters in front of his newly purchased $8.1-million home in an exclusive neighborhood in D.C. "That's why we'll be giving every dollar of our ridiculously profitable book and film deals to charities that help the less fortunate."

Screenshot of http://babylonbee.com/news/obamas-promise-to-donate-all-proceeds-from-multimillion-dollar-book-netflix-deals-to-combat-wealth-inequality/

The summary of the story looked like a news article enough to fool some people:

Obamas Promise To Donate All Proceeds From Multimillion-Dollar Book, Netflix Deals To Combat Wealth Inequality

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Barack and Michelle Obama have committed to donate all of the money they are slated to receive as part of their recent multimillion-dollar book and Netflix deals to combat wealth inequality in the nation, the celebrity politician couple announced Monday. Obama told the press he wanted to make sure people didn't think he was ...

The existence of the Obama foundation proves the Obamas are definitely not shy about enganging in charity. You can read more about the activities of the foundation on its website:

Obama.org

"I'm asking you to believe. Not in my ability to create change  - but in yours." President Barack Obama

But giving away everything earned with their books and Netflix show? We found no official announcement about this anywhere and "The Babylon Bee" comes with following dislaimer on every page:

The Babylon Bee is Your Trusted Source For Christian News Satire.

Some of their greatest past hits include:

With a track record like that it is clear that you shouldn't take anything posted on the site seriously and you definitely shouldn't confuse it with real news.

We wrote about babylonbee.com before, here are our most recent articles that mention the site:

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About the author:

Maarten Schenk is our resident expert on fake news and hoax websites. He likes to go beyond just debunking trending fake news stories and is endlessly fascinated by the dazzling variety of psychological and technical tricks used by the people and networks who intentionally spread made-up things on the internet.  He can often be found at conferences and events about fake news, disinformation and fact checking when he is not in his office in Belgium monitoring and tracking the latest fake article to go viral.

Read more about or contact Maarten Schenk
  • Obamas Promise To Donate All Proceeds From Multimillion-Dollar Book, Netflix Deals To Combat Wealth Inequality

    WASHINGTON, D.C.&mdash;Barack and Michelle Obama have committed to donate all of the money they are slated to receive as part of their recent multimillion-dollar book and Netflix deals to combat wealth inequality in the nation, the celebrity politician couple announced ... -- https://babylonbee.com
    • 15977 likes (35/hr)
    • 0 comments (0/hr)

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