The problem of fake news isn’t exactly a new phenomenon. In fact, America has a long history of the media hoaxing its audience - and vice versa.
In 1835, The Great Moon Hoax convinced people around the world that the Moon wasn't a barren wasteland but actually a rich landscape full of ruby caverns and towering amethyst crystals, populated by intelligent humanoid bat-people, two-legged badgers, and unicorns.
While this seems ridiculous in hindsight (particularly as Donald Trump hadn't been born yet), everyone from Ivy League students to middle-class professionals were totally hoodwinked by The New York Sun newspaper. Claiming to be a supplement to a serious scientific journal in Scotland, the newspaper played on the era's excitement over a steady stream of revolutionary scientific discoveries, and an increasingly literate audience hungry to be "in the know."
Why did the newspaper spin such an outlandish yarn? Simple: it was a serious money-spinner for The Sun as the story helped boost its circulation to make it the best-selling newspaper in the world.
Over a century later, in 1941, a 'reverse' hoax happened on the sports page of the New York Times, where readers were treated to stories about Plainfield Teachers College’s undefeated football team. There was just one problem: the school didn’t exist. Amusingly, the scores were phoned in by a mischievous Wall Street broker who suspected that the newspaper didn’t fact-check the scores.
Time magazine eventually discovered the hoax, ruining plans for Plainfield to appear in the Blackboard Bowl in Atlantic City … which also didn’t exist!
Half a century later, pranksters discovered a new way to spread hoaxes: the internet. This is when fake news really began to take off.
In 1994, a fake Associated Press story began circulating on the then-new internet, claiming that Microsoft had submitted a bid to buy the Catholic Church. Faced with complaints, both Microsoft and the AP issued statements denying the story.
Not all hoaxes are entirely innocent. In 2009, a Colorado couple claimed their six-year-old son floated away in a homemade weather balloon. Media picked up the story, and the National Guard dispatched helicopters to attempt a rescue.
In reality, the incident was just a publicity stunt for the boy’s parents, who were scheduled to appear on a reality show. The “Balloon Boy” was safe at home the whole time, hiding in the family’s attic. The couple was charged with a felony, given jail time, and forced to pay a $36,000 fine.
It’s all fun and games until they send in the choppers.
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