The Lovenstein Institute IQ Report
In July 2001 an e-mail began to circulate around the internet claiming that the Lovenstein Institute, a think-tank based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, had conducted research into the IQ of all the Presidents of the past 50 years and concluded that George W. Bush ranked at the bottom, with an IQ of only 91. This news quickly gained attention from the international media. The London Guardian broke the story on July 19, and on August 26 Garry Trudeau featured the report in his Doonesbury comic strip.
Unfortunately both Trudeau and the Guardian had been taken in by a hoax. The e-mail had originated as a joke on a website called linkydinky.com. In its original version, the joke was evident. For instance, Linkydinky.com cited the Pennsylvania Court Observer as its source for the news, but this paper was simultaneously described as having a circlation of only five readers. Furthermore, Dr. Lovenstein was described as "living in a mobile home in Scranton, Pennsylvania." As the joke began to make its way through people's e-mail, these textual clues were removed, making it appear that the Lovenstein Institute was an actual research organization. Once they learned of their mistakes, both Trudeau and the Guardian published retractions.
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