Davidson graduate behind viral fake news article

(FOX 46) - Fake news is taking center stage across the country with a local man, once again, right in the middle of it.

A recent graduate from Davidson College is admitting to creating fake news during the presidential election that was shared by 6 million people.

Cameron Harris is from Kings Mountain and just graduated from Davidson College last May. The 23-year-old, who now lives in Maryland, created an article with the headline: “BREAKING: Tens of thousands of fraudulent Clinton votes found in Ohio warehouse.”

Harris agreed to sit down with the New York Times and explained, why and how, he set up his fake news site this past fall.

Harris said he first created the website to earn money off advertisements. It wasn’t until later he realized the damage he had done.

Harris posted a statement on Twitter after the New York Times article was published Wednesday. He’s apologizing for his actions, with the wish that he be allowed to contribute to a larger dialogue about why fake news flourished in this election cycle, and how it fed into the biases of many Americans.