If anything it would appear that people are trying to keep the story alive.
I’ve found similar news stories (since archived) that were covered here over the years:
Confederados Keep Dixie Alive Down South in Brazil
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1006511/posts
Confederacy lives way down south of Dixie
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/998123/posts
Some intrepid reporter digs this out of the archives every few years like it’s earth shattering news. I’ve read almost the same story 1000 times in my lifetime, and I never exaggerate.