Newspaper Reported ‘Nelson Mandela Dead at 94′ on its Front Page, Says Blogger

The front page of the Philadelphia Daily News said that former South African leader Nelson Mandela had died at age 94, according to a media blogger, but it appears the gaffe was fixed, although it’s unclear when. Mandela is still alive and is hospitalized.

The News published the edition on Tuesday but it appears that no one noticed it, or reported on it, according to media blogger Charles Apple.

Apple wrote on Wednesday that the “Philadelphia Daily News joined the growing number of media outlets” claiming that Mandela died.

“The problem, of course: Mandela is not dead yet. Technically, at least. Reports are that he’s being kept alive by a respirator. Conflicting reports — mostly from the South African government that no one really seems to trust — are that he’s doing fine and may be discharged from the hospital in time for his birthday. Sure enough, reports today are that he’s made “dramatic” progress,” he added.

The digital section of the Daily News’ front page, however, shows that the error was removed. It is unclear when it was changed.

Apple said he got the image from Jarrod M. Graham, design editor of the Bakersfield Californian, but he doesn’t say where Graham got the image. It’s also not clear if the Daily News actually distributed the paper with the erroneous front page, the corrected one, or both.

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