“Dutch media did not report that Pothoven died of euthanasia. But the English-language reporting of the story did, even as they cited Dutch news reports that did not speak of euthanasia.
The simple falsehood spread around the world at lightning speed, as news organizations copied and republished the story without stopping to check the facts.
Some stories explicitly made the false claim that Pothoven was given euthanasia by a clinic, leaping ahead of the facts based on her prior request for euthanasia and her Instagram post.
The deeply shocking story on such a controversial issue was irresistible, and became a top news item all over the world overnight. Pothoven’s name was soon trending on Twitter in Italy. News reports repeating the false claims were published from Australia to India to the United States. The story featured on Wednesday’s edition of Britain’s top current affairs radio program, BBC Radio 4’s Today.
The truth is clear: Pothoven sought euthanasia, and she was refused.”
