Although the term fake news has only recently become part of popular culture, the issue of misinformation has been around for centuries. Below are some articles and online resources for further reading.
In early 1913, Charles Dawson, an amateur archaeologist, and Arthur Woodward, a paleontologist working with the British Museum, announced the discovery of the ancient remains of an early human ancestor in Sussex in December of the previous year. The problem? The Piltdown Man, as the remains would be called, was officially declared a hoax in 1953 after scientists assessed the fluorine content of the skull. The skull dated back from ancient times, but the jaw was from an orangutan and dated from the time of the discovery. To read more about the Piltdown Man, a notable hoax from scientific history, see "Folklore, Belief, and the Piltdown Man Hoax."
(Image Source: Dakota County Herald | Feb. 14, 1913 | Chronicling America)
See "Belief, Legend, and the Great Moon Hoax" for more information about this satiric article series that had the public believing there was life on the moon.
(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
A radio drama staged in the style of a news broadcast made portions of the public panic and believe that Martians were invading the Earth. The above image shows Orson Welles, one of the founders of the theatrical troupe responsible for The War of the Worlds radio drama, talking to reporters about the panic the broadcast caused
See "The Fake News of Orson Welles" to read more about The War of the Worlds. Explore Indiana University Bloomington's "Orson Welles on the Air, 1938-1946" digital collection to listen to the original broadcast.
(Image Source: Acme News | Wikimedia Commons).
25-year-old Stephen Glass — having been published in magazines such as Rolling Stone, Harpers, and The New Republic — was a rising star in D.C. journalism until a 1998 investigation revealed that he had faked the details of many of his most successful stories. Read more about his story in "Shattered Glass," an article that appeared in Vanity Fair shortly after his coverup was revealed.
(Image Source: "Shattered Glass" | Buzz Bissinger | September 1998 | Vanity Fair)
Image Source: L. M. Glackens | 1910 | Library of Congress
In the 1890s, newspaper editors Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, would enter into a fierce competition that would have an impact on the history of American journalism. In attempts to sell more papers than their counterpart, Pulitzer and Hearst used sensationalism and shocking headlines to draw in an audience for their papers. Rumors and opinions were often reported as fact as part of these sensationalist stories. The practice, which became known as "yellow journalism," is believed to have contributed to the U.S. entering into the Spanish-American War. Yellow journalism faded away in the early 20th century, but its legacy can be seen in today's tabloids.
See "The Growth -- and Danger -- of Fake News: The Disinformation Deluge (2010s-Present)" for more on yellow journalism's place in the history of fake news. See "The Spanish American War the Yellow Press" for more on Hearst's and Pulitzer's role in the U.S. going to war.
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