# Is this news story likely true or just some kind of joke? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 11, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851 "2016-02-11T20:12:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/1 "2016-02-11T20:12:41Z")
It is not uncommon for tricksters to plant stories in newspaper sites or other media outlets that are just made up and intended to embarass the media site because the info contained in the story really does look kind of absurd. I wonder if most people here know of one of Howard Stern’s associates named Gary Dell’Abte who is also known as “Baba Booey” and people sometimes call in fake news stories to other radio stations and tell them their name is “Baba Booey” or just use that name somewhere in their story to let the audience know it’s just a joke intended to embarass the media outlet. The following is a story that seems suspicious to me because of the names used. Unfortunately, if it’s true, it’s a very serious story that is about a murder - or at least some kind of suspicious death. The reason I find it suspicious is because of the names used. The name of the police spokesman is given as, “Capt. Yingyong Chuoykij”. “Ying Yong” may be a real name in Thailand. But if you stop and say it outloud, it sure does sound like a joke to North Americans. Also, the name of the location of the story is given as “Phuket Island” and that sure is similar to “Fuck It”. Anyway, the following is a link to that story. I had to check if this was April Fools Day. But since it isn’t, do you think there is any chance this is somehow a phoney story? > **[Canadian tourist found dead in Thailand hotel](https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/02/11/canadian-tourist-found-death-in-thailand-hotel.html)** > > Police say the body of 28-year-old Michael Talbot was found at the Tropica Bungalow Resort on Phuket Island early Wednesday. No cause of death has been announced. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/2 "2016-02-11T20:19:59Z")
The story looks legitimate to me. Phuket Island was one of the places heavily damaged after the 2004 earthquake and tsunami, and it’s pronounced poo-ket. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/3 "2016-02-11T20:25:36Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > The story looks legitimate to me. It’s a very popular tourist destination. There are some other destinations in Thailand (Koh Phi Phi) and elsewhere that may look or sound funny to American ears. But it’s a big wide world out there. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/4 "2016-02-11T20:40:05Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Anyway, the following is a link to that story. I had to check if this was April Fools Day. But since it isn’t, do you think there is any chance this is somehow a phoney story? > > [Canadian tourist found dead in Thailand hotel](http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/02/11/canadian-tourist-found-death-in-thailand-hotel.html) I’ll be the first to say: definitely not fake. The GoFundMe linked in the story is real; over $31,000 has been raised so far. Also, there’s nothing in the story that would “out” it. There’s no detail that is ridiculous, nothing that screams “yeahhhhh right” in anyway. A quick google of the police captain’s name shows news stories from last September quoting him. Googling “Phuket Island” shows a Wikipedia entry, lots of gorgeous scenic photos, a map, lists of things to do there and many other travel related information, etc. Pretty easy to see that this is a legitimate story, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/5 "2016-02-11T20:45:21Z")
Oh Charlie. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/6 "2016-02-11T21:04:48Z")
Intercourse, PA Slaughterville, OK Truth or Consequences, NM French Lick, IN Surely, none of these can be real places? Right? Right? Also, I read a news story about a guy in Texas (Trinity, TX at that!) named Jesus. Seriously? How could I possibly believe anything from that newspaper ever again? . ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/7 "2016-02-11T21:27:16Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Oh Charlie. He does seem rather sheltered, doesn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/8 "2016-02-11T21:50:44Z")
What did you expect his name to be? Bob Smith? I would’ve been suspicious of “Hu Flung Du,” “Yu Stin Ki Pu,” or “Sum Ting Wong.” “Yingyong Chuoykij” doesn’t raise any red flags. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/9 "2016-02-11T22:00:28Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Oh Charlie. > [@Telemark](#): > > He does seem rather sheltered, doesn’t he? Yet so earnest. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/10 "2016-02-11T22:12:52Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’ll be the first to say: definitely not fake. > > The GoFundMe linked in the story is real; over $31,000 has been raised so far. > > Also, there’s nothing in the story that would “out” it. There’s no detail that is ridiculous, nothing that screams “yeahhhhh right” in anyway. > > A quick google of the police captain’s name shows news stories from last September quoting him. > > Googling “Phuket Island” shows a Wikipedia entry, lots of gorgeous scenic photos, a map, lists of things to do there and many other travel related information, etc. > > Pretty easy to see that this is a legitimate story, IMO. This post contains some useful info. In future, I will Google some of the names in order to get a better idea of whether or not stories could be fake. Thank you, Bo. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/11 "2016-02-11T22:22:01Z")
The largest (maybe the only) town on San Salvador, Bahamas is named “Cockburn”. You’d think the Gov’t Nurse would treat a lot of folks there for gonorrhea. It’s pronounced “Ko-burn”. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/12 "2016-02-11T22:53:08Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > This post contains some useful info. > > In future, I will Google some of the names in order to get a better idea of whether or not stories could be fake. > > Thank you, Bo. “Bo” may or may not be his real name. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/13 "2016-02-11T22:56:02Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > “Bo” may or may not be his real name. I can neither confirm nor deny that Bo may or may not be my real or unreal name. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/14 "2016-02-11T22:57:00Z")
[Here’s a completely different news story which implies Capt Yingyong Chuoykij of the Patong Police is a real person.](http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Blacklisted-Kiwis-busted-2yearold-unpaid-restaurant-bill/61960) It’s from the Phuket Gazette, which is where you’d expect a story about local police to appear, is dated September 15, 2015, and is completely unfunny. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/15 "2016-02-11T22:57:45Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > “Bo” may or may not be his real name. I don’t think it is. Is this website even real? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/16 "2016-02-11T23:08:57Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > The largest (maybe the only) town on San Salvador, Bahamas is named “Cockburn”. You’d think the Gov’t Nurse would treat a lot of folks there for gonorrhea. It’s pronounced “Ko-burn”. Cockburn is also Olivia Wilde’s real surname. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/17 "2016-02-12T00:13:57Z")
Hey **Charlie** , do you know what the [capital](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok) of Thailand is? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/18 "2016-02-12T02:06:44Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Cockburn is also Olivia Wilde’s real surname. There’s also the writer Andrew Cockburn and the musician/activist Bruce Cockburn. IDK if they are related; however, the aforementioned Olivia Wilde is Andrew’s daughter. I had not previously known that. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/19 "2016-02-12T02:08:21Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Hey **Charlie** , do you know what the [capital](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok) of Thailand is? Beavis used to talk about how he was from Lake Titicaca. My brother did not know until quite recently that this is a real place. > **[Lake Titicaca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Titicaca)** > > Lake Titicaca (/tɪtɪˈkɑːkə/; Spanish: Lago Titicaca \[ˈlaɣo titiˈkaka\]; Quechua: Titiqaqa Qucha) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. Titicaca is the largest lake in South America both in terms of the volume of water and surface area.\[a\] It has a surface elevation of 3,812 m (12,507 ft). > The lake is located at the northern end of the endorheic Altiplano basin high in the Andes on the borde... ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/20 "2016-02-12T03:26:10Z")
An OP about murder in a Thailand where some radio DJ & his side kick are mentioned in the second sentence? Are they suspects or victims? _Reads Article_ \*\*What Is This? A Cruel Hoax…? :smack: \*\* [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851.md?page=2)