The Daily Mail and the BBC are among several news outlets that have been caught out using misattributed quotes in a report on the risks of gaming for young people.
The various reports accused youngsters of being "stoned" and, in the Daily Mail's case, went as far as likening young gamers to "zombies".
The reports quoted Robert Hart-Fletcher, of charity Kids and Media, as saying: "Gaming is a phenomenon that's been around quite a while. Now we are starting to see the effects in behaviour of young people."
They later had him adding: "In the past people had genuine relationships with empathy and compassion which has been replaced by this virtual relationship where they are not necessarily having to show empathy or compassion. That's starting perhaps to change the way they interact on a day to day basis."
Hart-Fletcher has since spoken to BeefJack and clarified that the quotes attributed to him were "completely fabricated".
The BBC has since gone on to make an amendment to their article, explaining it away as a mistake. The Daily Mail website currently retains the original posting. The quotes have now been attributed to Paul Bowser, a youth worker with Christian charity Wings South West.