Reuters Says Story About Dole Is A Hoax

Internet hoaxes are all the rage.

The latest one flying around cyberspace masquerades as a legitimate Reuter story from Tehran, describing the Iranian media’s discomfort with translating Bob Dole’s name.

“It turns out that the proper spelling of the Republican Party’s likely presidential nominee, Dole, is exactly the same as that of the word ‘penis’ in Persian,” the story says, continuing, “‘At first, it might seem funny to some people, but it’s creating a serious issue for us. How can we write headlines using that word?’ said Majid Fanni, a pre-press specialist at a Tehran service.”

But Reuters never sent out such a dispatch, said spokesman Bob Crook.

However, the phony story does contain a kernel of truth. Several Farsi speakers interviewed said that “Dole” translates phonetically as “dool,” which is indeed the word for the male sexual organ.

Deadpanned Dole’s press secretary, Clarkson Hine: “Around the world, Sen. Dole is synonymous with leadership, integrity and credibility.”