Historical Fake News

Fake news is nothing new since governments and powerful individuals have always used information as a weapon to boost their support and suppress dissidence. During Roman times, disinformation was widespread. Conspirators used fake news about Julius Caesar appointing himself emperor to engender support for his assassination. Subsequently, Octavian famously used a campaign of disinformation to… Read More Historical Fake News

Virginia Woolf, the Dreadnought Hoax, and the origin of “Bunga! Bunga!”

  On 7 February 1910, four men in long robes, accompanied by two in western dress, were received on board HMS Dreadnought, the flagship of the British Royal Navy and the most technologically advanced ship that had been built. The six people were a group of friends, including writer Virginia Stephen ( later Virginia Woolf… Read More Virginia Woolf, the Dreadnought Hoax, and the origin of “Bunga! Bunga!”

Fake news & co.

“Fake news“, “conspiracy theories”, and “hoaxes” are very common on the internet. “Fake news” are created to damage a person, a business, an agency, or a government, or to get attention and to get clicks on the internet. “A conspiracy theory” is an explanation of an event or situation that is different from the official… Read More Fake news & co.

Fake news

  Fake news  is an inaccurate, sometimes sensationalistic report created to gain attention, deceive or damage a reputation. It is published to look like authentic news and spread via traditional print and news media or social media. Unlike misinformation, which is inaccurate because a reporter has confused facts, fake news, which has no basis in… Read More Fake news