It seems like the local paper was in on it. They come up with things like:
"Their stares got pleasantly tangled, then Manti Te'o extended his hand to the stranger with a warm smile and soulful eyes."
"She was gifted in music, multi-lingual, had dreams grounded in reality and the talent to catch up to them"
Does this not seem like straight publicity propaganda? These aren't quotes from Te'o either. The Tribune writer came up with it.
Then, they report the girlfriend died before the grandma. Less than three weeks later they changed the order, but didn't mention their "error".