the buzz log
The Castro Death Watch
Searches Spike for the Cuban Leader's Death
On Tuesday, Fidel Castro let slip in Cuba's Communist Party newspaper that he was going to quit his job. News of the retirement exploded online. Searches for "fidel castro" surged nearly 6,000%. Demand for "castro"—no first name necessary—jumped more than 3,500%.
People seeking more on "castro resigns" and "castro resignation" explored the dictator's employment change. But the biggest buzz of all came from folks investigating "fidel castro death."
By all accounts, the bearded revolutionary is very much alive. And yet, the actual news that he's relinquishing his 49-year post was overwhelmed by the rumor (or idea) of his passing. Besides "fidel castro death," we logged sharp spikes in terms like "castro dead," "fidel castro dead," and "fidel castro death havana."
Some analysts predict the Cuban ruler will now play the role of elder statesman. No matter what he does, searches seeking evidence of his demise will surely dog him to the end.
Filed under: News, Fidel Castro, Cuba
the buzz log
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what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
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