Anatomy of a Campus Hoax

Start a rumor, in the local hack blog:

On Wednesday afternoon, University of Texas student Bryan Davis was walking to a friend's apartment in the student-filled neighborhood of West Campus. As he passed the University Towers apartment building on 23rd and Pearl, a bleach-filled balloon struck him in the leg.

Though luckily uninjured, the shock took "hours" to wear off, Davis told Burnt Orange Report. "I don't feel safe walking around West Campus by myself anymore."

This is the latest of many bleach bomb attacks on students of color in West Campus. Last October, the story made national headlines, as did the student protest for more safety.

 Which gets picked up by the Huffington Post:

University Of Texas Investigates Another Possible 'Bleach Bomb' Attack Against Minority Student

 And Al-Jazeera:

"Bleach bombs" re-emerge at UT-Austin

Creating Racial Strife:



Only to have, two weeks later, the whole thing turn out to be untrue:

Final tests found no evidence of bleach in a balloon that landed near a student in West Campus in August, University of Texas officials said Tuesday.

The student, 21-year-old Bryan Davis, had claimed the balloon was thrown at him near the intersection of 23rd and Pearl streets on Aug. 22. He said the incident was racially motivated if not “racially inconsiderate” during a campus rally that took place the following week.

Officials last month said preliminary tests showed that the balloon was filled with water. Final tests on the evidence, including clothing and balloon fragments, detected no bleach, officials said.

 The University of Texas' motto is "What Starts Here Changes the World"; Cahnman's Musings frequently finds that a terrifying statement.

-----

Author's Note: We live two blocks from where the alleged incident occurred; the frat boys in this neighborhood are equal opportunity douche bags who throw water balloons at everyone, regardless of race.