Australia's most popular tabloids picked up a cracking exclusive at the G20 summit on Saturday about the U.S. President's decoy/body-double in Brisbane.
Brisbane's Courier Mail, Sydney's Daily Telegraph, Melbourne's Herald Sun and Adelaide's Advertiser all splashed with the photos that claimed to expose President Barack Obama's decoy driving around in a second presidential limo.
There was also a poll that asked readers to pick the real Obama.
The story was picked-up and published on Sky News and other outlets.
Who's Who? Obama Decoy Snapped At G20 http://t.co/biyxBItsT5
Australia's BBC correspondent was intrigued by the yarn.
Can you spot the #G20 #Obama decoy? http://t.co/I0DmeWdgv7 via @hamishNews
As were other prominent journalists.
Decoy Obama at the #G20 in Brisbane? http://t.co/QxOVDQIJrU
A Herald Sun columnist praised the excellent work of her News Corp colleagues.
Nice work by @couriermail capturing Obama’s decoy at the #G20 Via @bkjabour
There's only one problem... he doesn't use a decoy!
BuzzFeed News contacted several members of President Obama's delegation who denied the president traveled with body doubles in separate cars - a practice popularised in modern times by former dictator Saddam Hussein.
Courier Mail Editor Christopher Dore told BuzzFeed News the original story has now been updated after the photographer cast serious doubts about the series of events.
"Was it his imagination, a trick of the light or an elaborate shell game? The US will never tell us if they've hired a double – or which one is the real leader of the free world – so we've left it up to you," reads the updated story.
The newspaper now calls it "a mystery". BuzzFeed News thinks it can now be put to bed.
