Killer clowns, here? Don't buy it

At 6:08 p.m. Pacific Time Wednesday, The Washington Post published a story headlined, “Scary clown rumors, threats feed hysteria, leading to school lockdowns, arrests.” It cited a potentially incendiary incident at James Madison University that had the whole campus on edge.

“The JMU clown fright was just one of hundreds that have erupted this week at colleges, high schools and grade schools across the country, forcing learning institutions to respond seriously to a growing national hysteria that many had previously regarded as a laughing matter,” the Post authors wrote.

Similar stories have been circulating worldwide, with prominent reports from the likes of CNN, The Guardian, TIME and others.

The creepy clown craze is no longer foreign to North Idaho, either.

At 8:46 p.m. Wednesday, The Press received the following email:

I live in Sandpoint you are probably being like why is she not contacting the daily bee... however, supposedly there was a story in the press that there have been clowns spotted in Sandpoint in the woods by Farmin/Stidwell Elementary and they are kidnapping and eating children... I believe this is a HOAX facebook page created by some stupid people as a prank to scare the crap out of the town, but... I can’t find the article on your web page and am writing to verify that there was no such article written... the fb page is Sandpoint Horror Story...... and yes the ONLY school mentioned is Farmin/Stidwell....

just a curious Parent of a child who attends this school and we live in the neighborhood.. I have turned this over to the local authorities .... but they are using an article that states it comes from the CDA press.... and ... well, thought you might want to know if this article was not written by one of your people.....

thanks for any assistance you can give me

(Name withheld by Press)

investigating Mother....

We explained to her that The Press has written no such article. Last Saturday, we did publish a story about the opening of Scarywood, which features some pretty freaky clowns, but serious threats from costumed thugs with big red noses and razor-pointed teeth aren’t part of the Scarywood program.

Reading extensively on the creepy clown phenomenon, the consensus is that this being October, people should be on the alert for hoaxes and pranks. No longer are outhouses tipped over. TP-ing trees is a Halloween art form rarely seen these days. Instead, we can expect new waves of cyberhoaxes fueled by social media pranksters, unleashed on audiences that should be far more skeptical.

While any lunatic can don a costume and wreak havoc, the invasion of Killer Klowns from Outer Space goes no further than your TV or computer screen.

Next time you read or hear of evil clowns unleashed from hell, it’s OK to laugh.