Morgan Freeman is the latest celebrity to be falsely quoted in a widely-circulated, controversial faux-interview -- this one regarding the tragic Friday Dec. 15 shootings in Newtown, CT that left 20 children and eight adults dead.
The Oscar-winning actor, 75, denied ever issuing a statement criticizing the media for sensationalizing the tragedy and others like it, his publicist told TheWrap.com Sunday Dec. 16.
"It's because of the way the media reports it," the false statement read, in which the actor allegedly criticizes coverage of past school shootings. "Turn on the news and see how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single 'victim' of Columbine?"
According to TheWrap, Freeman's team is attempting to discern how the false quotes -- which became viral on Facebook and elsewhere online -- hit the web in the first place.
"Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basement see the news and want to top it by doing something worse and going out in a memorable way," the phony quotes continued of late Newtwon gunman Adam Lanza. "Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster instead of a sad nobody."
This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Morgan Freeman Denies Making Statement About School Shooting
