Did you hear the one about how US Supreme Court Justice John Roberts is quitting the bench? It’s nonsense, as US website RadarOnline found out the hard way.

The site reported its exclusive on Thursday morning, sending Washington into a minor spin — Roberts has only been on the bench since 2005 and, at age 55, could be expected to serve another two decades. Fox News reported the story hesitantly, crediting unnamed sources, while Twitter and the blogosphere didn’t hesitate at all. The Drudge Report and the Huffington Post reported the rumours in full.

But it was nothing more than a university prank. As legal blog Above the Law uncovered, Georgetown University Professor Peter Tague decided to have a little fun with his first-year law students. Telling them to turn off their phones and laptops he shared his confidential faux scoop — Roberts would announce his health-related retirement the following day. Within half an hour he admitted the students had been duped, but it was too late.

Radar walked back their reports but didn’t retract the story. “Despite considering resigning from the US Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts will stay on the bench, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned,” it wrote. On Friday, CNN went to the Georgetown campus and spoke to students who had taken Professor Tague’s class last year, who confirmed he had used the same exercise on them. — Thomas McIlroy

Straight to the source: Police scanner tops news app sales

“The most popular news app in Australia for Apple’s iPhone is a police scanner made by a 29-year-old programmer living in London who started computer coding when he was 14.” — The Australian

YouTube on the … tube?

“Google Inc is testing a new television-programming search service with Dish Network Corp … the latest development in a fast-moving race to combine internet content with conventional TV.” — Wall Street Journal

In death, the King of Pop sells more magazines than anyone

“If Barack Obama was the magazine world’s top cover subject in 2008, Michael Jackson proved to be his successor in 2009.” — Huffington Post

UK online magazines in the dark about profits

“More than half of the consumer magazines with a monthly traffic of 1.5 million unique users and more are profitable … [but] more than a third of consumer magazines don’t even know if their website makes a profit or not.” — The Guardian

Facebook boss the world’s top media person?

“Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO, has been named Media Person of the Year at the 57th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.” — Mumbrella

(Second) Life after death

“What would you write if you could update your Facebook status from beyond the grave?” — Times Colonist