Introduction
During December of 2016 a facebook post was shared that contained an article that the rapper C-Murder, Cory Miller, had been pardoned by President Obama. Miller was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder. The website that published this article was Gummy Post. The article reported that “ According To the United States Department of Justice full pardon were granted by President Obama to inmate Corey Miller at Angola State Penitentiary 12.07.2016.” Since it is known that the President can grant pardons for whomever he pleases, many followers of social media were excited about the news of Miller. However, many online sources will publish anything that will get attention to their name.
With a Little Research
After going into further investigation about Miller being pardoned by President Obama, it did not take much time to tell this article was a fake. Numerous sources confirmed that this accusation was a hoax. According to Snopes, this article was published a few days after a Petition was started asking the Louisiana Supreme Court to reconsider Miller’s sentencing.
As I continue to do even more research I found another reason why the gummy post’s article was able to be believed by social media users. Earlier that year in September an interview of Master P had caught many viewers attention by asking Obama if he would pardon Miller, his brother. In the interview Master P was asking if President Obama would just look into the case to see for himself that something does not add up with Millers’ case. From the time after the interview with Master P and with the petition being created a few days before, this article can be very believable.
However, there are details to this story that can easily refute this article. The claim that a president can pardon a citizen is true. Although, with research you will find out that a president may only pardon citizens for federal crimes. Miller was convicted of a state crime, so the president is not able to pardon him even if he wanted to. The governor of Louisiana is the other person who has the power to pardon Miller. Also, with more information to refute this claim there is a list posted by the department of justice of who is all pardoned and on which day. Obama did not pardon anyone on December 7, like Gummy Post claimed. Nor did Corey Miller’s name appear on any of these lists under Obama’s pardons. Another detail that confirms this story is a hoax.
Conclusion
Social media can be a great way to communicate with friends, family, and get information on what is happening in the world. An original post shared by a single person can be seen by millions within minutes. So whether the original post is credible or not, it will still be seen. Take the time to check articles given out information, because many have become rumors and fake news. And social media is their number one platform to get these articles out.
Sources
