Elle Draws Backlash For Using Fake Kanye-Kim Breakup Story to Trick Readers Into Visiting Voter Registration Page

Some may call it “clickbait,” other will it “fake news.”

Elle Magazine‘s official Twitter account “reported,” Thursday, that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are “splitting up.”

However, when you click on the link, it directs you not to an article on a Kanye-Kim breakup. But, rather, a page encouraging people to register to vote.

The trick drew heavy backlash:

When a random tweeter did this it was clever but now you’re just stealing their tweet and also spreading fake news. https://t.co/RDZg4bQsMc

— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) October 18, 2018

Preying on your readers’ shallowness and stupidity to own the cons https://t.co/yc2gyJtzEM

— siraj hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) October 18, 2018

This is trash nonsense. Who do you think you are reaching with this? Guess what? One can be civic minded and interested in celebrity gossip. Do better.

— roxane gay (@rgay) October 18, 2018

Deceptive practices are generally frowned upon with regards to electioneering, btw. https://t.co/dgefFPHrib

— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) October 18, 2018

Just wanna go on the record as hating this. If someone has to trick you with celebrity clickbait to get you to register to vote, maybe you shouldn’t be voting https://t.co/hlY9gFhgJV

— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) October 18, 2018

Clickbait. Link leads you to a webpage to register you to vote.

I’ve seen several Facebook posts doing the same thing with Kanye and Kim. https://t.co/xua8SQtrWJ

— Andrew Kugle (@AndrewJKugle) October 18, 2018

Kim and Kanye are not splitting up, and Elle is cruelly spreading fake news about someone else’s marriage to try to get people to vote. This is sick. https://t.co/ng9cjXBlqU

— Amber Athey (@amber_athey) October 18, 2018

This is a disgrace

— Brian Flood (@briansflood) October 18, 2018

The desperation jumped out

— Ira (@ira) October 18, 2018

delete this.

— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) October 18, 2018

can we not do this? besides the fact that you directly ripped this idea from an individual twitter user — you are an actual publication that people look to to report truth. this isn't helping. and by the way, nobody's going to vote because they got tricked into it.

— Brittany Van Horne (@_brittanyv) October 18, 2018

But despite the backlash, Elle Magazine did receive praise from one particular CNN personality…

This is brilliant https://t.co/piqIa5j1dZ

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) October 18, 2018

[images via screengrab]