You may have heard on the weekend about the death of actress Tanya Roberts, formerly of Charlie's Angels and That 70s Show, as well as a one time James Bond actress. Reports published all over the world indicated that the 65-year-old passed away after collapsing while out walking her dogs. Those stories were reported online, in newspapers, on TV and on radio all day.  

But reports of her death, as Mark Twain might have noted, have been greatly exaggerated. At least for the moment. Now her publicist, in what is certainly more than a reversal of fortune, says she's still alive, although in grave condition.

How does that kind of mistake happen? I remember many years ago when news of Bob Hope's death washed over the media. Among those listening to the announcement was Hope himself, who was in the middle of breakfast when he was declared dead by, if memory serves, a Washington politician.  

A few years ago, the media also pronounced Gordon Lightfoot's passing. As we all know, he's still very much with us. 

What an embarrassing mess, as websites are forced to retract their original stories and pages on their sites have mysteriously disappeared. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, these mistakes get picked up everywhere. And even though it's not their fault (her death was announced by her boyfriend, certainly a good source), they don't help an already wounded media's credibility. 

Which leads me to what has to be my favourite headline of 2021 so far:

Tanya Roberts Is Reportedly Not Dead