Who's 'dying'? Michigan city hits back at Newsweek for glum report

My native Michigan heart is beaming with pride today...

In January, Newsweek magazine proclaimed that Grand Rapids, Mich., was one of the country's "Dying Cities." But residents of the western Michigan city weren't swayed by Newsweek's glum analysis and worked hard to hit back at the mag for its premature death declaration.

The result? This epic viral video which brings together people from across the city to showcase what Grand Rapids really has to offer:

The video is reportedly a record-breaker, featuring 5,000 people and "marching bands, parades, weddings, motorcades, bridges on fire, and helicopter take offs."

Since the video went up on YouTube yesterday, Newsweek has been tripping over themselves and responded on Facebook by blaming someone else for their own published content:

To the Grand Rapids crowd:

First off, we LOVE your YouTube LipDub. We're big fans, and are inspired by your love of the city you call home.

But so you know what was up with the list you're responding to, we want you to know it was done by a website called mainstreet.com—not by Newsweek (it was unfortunately picked up on the Newsweek web site as part of a content sharing deal)—and it uses a methodology that our current editorial team doesn't endorse and wouldn't have employed. It certainly doesn't reflect our view of Grand Rapids.