Michael Jackson death sends news sites’ traffic through the roof as Today show reports Jeff Goldblum hoax

Australian news sites experienced a mammoth spike in traffic today following the death of Michael Jackson.   

NineMSN told Mumbrella the news site had seen a 373 per cent increase in hourly unique browsers from 8am compared to the same time yesterday.

In a fortunate piece of timing for the site, it began trialling a live stream of the Today show this week. Nine extended the programme’s broadcast beyond its usual 9am finish through to noon.

However, the show did stumble, with entertainment editor Richard Wilkins incorrectly reporting the death of American actor Jeff Goldblum in New Zealand after a fake story was published online. He told viewers: “New Zealand police are saying this is a correct story.”

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