The Newspaper Hoax that Shook the World

We just posted this on the Smoky Hill Blog. Interesting story.

The media’s power to “create” news has become a hot topic in recent years. But it’s nothing new. This true story, from a book called The Fabulous Rogues, by Alexander Klein, is an example of what’s been going on for at least a century. It was sent to us by BRI reader Jim Morton.

Most journalistic hoaxes, no matter how ingenious, create only temporary excitement. But in 1899 four reporters in Denver, Colorado, concocted a fake story that, within a relatively short time, made news history -violent history at that. Here’s how it happened.

THE DENVER FOUR

http://www.neatorama.com/2011/08/08/the ... the-world/

Nowadays all people need is the Internet to spread untruths. One they're out there, even disproven, they continue to proliferate, repeated by others who either don't both or don't care to look up the facts.

I was curious about what you would think about this story. I agree. Once it is out there it is hard to take it back. Print is very powerful. I wish more would take it more seriously.

That happened back in the time when reporters routinely made up stories for print. It was a time when many newspapers resembled "News of the World" with fake stories.

How ethical is that and does it happen today in 'real news'?

Define "real news." A lot of it happens here on the Internet but it's not from news organizations.

It's two easy to quickly check out facts nowadays.

There have been news reporters who go after a story, believing it's real and it turns out not to be so. That's different from making up a fake story from scratch.

The George Bush National Guard fiasco by Dan Rather comes to mind.

Real news would be news organizations other than the enquirer, I guess, not easy to define in today's internet world.

It remains easy to fabricate stories about areas that people don't know much about.

Arabia would be my own example.

Most people don't know much about Arabia or Islam. So - when a wild story is publicized - people latch onto it as if it were true and commonplace.

A simple example - a father/daughter ceremony (not unlike our own daddy/daughter dance here in the USA) in Palestine suddenly becomes a child bride ceremony sponsored by Hamas. The story is spread wildly by newspapers --- all hopping to stay on the cutting edge of the news......

The untruth served its purpose ---- most Americans remain certain that Muslims (especially Palestinian Muslims) often push their young daughters into child-bride situations. In my limited experience (4 years) - it is untrue.

Now, to burst that bubble:

From wikipedia (and other sources):

"The Great Wall of China hoax was a faked story, published in United States newspapers on June 25, 1899, about bids by American businesses to demolish the Great Wall of China and construct a road in its place.

In 1939, an urban legend began when Denver songwriter Harry Lee Wilber claimed in a magazine article that the 1899 hoax had ignited the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. Paul Harvey and Dwight Sands perpetuated the legend. Variations have been incorporated into sermons about "the power of the tongue," a morality tale used by preachers to highlight the consequences of lying.

The fact, however, is that Boxer activity intensified in response to the German invasion in Shandong during March 1899 - before the hoax was invented in Denver. No Chinese history reference relates the hoax to the Boxer Rebellion."

Hmmmmm..... Of course is wiki reliable?