Fake News in History
Fake News in History
"It is sometimes necessary to lie damnably in the interests of the nation."
Hilaire Belloc
Fake news in the sense of propaganda has been with us a long time.The Prologue to Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 2 (written ~ 1599) is spoken by a figure dressed as Rumour and "painted full of tongues." Rumour is the personification of hearsay — stories that circulate without any confirmation or certainty — and is there to “open men’s ears” and “stuff them full of lies.” During the Renaissance, Rumour was often associated with warfare — in this image (from Cartari's Images Deorum, 1582) he is pictured blowing a trumpet as Mars, the God of War, follows behind.
The term ‘propaganda’ is taken from the name of a body set up by the Catholic Church in 1622 and called the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide. This sought to propagate Catholicism in non-Catholic countries, and it became known colloquially as ‘Propaganda’.
The term ‘propaganda’ is taken from the name of a body set up by the Catholic Church in 1622 and called the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide. This sought to propagate Catholicism in non-Catholic countries, and it became known colloquially as ‘Propaganda’.
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1 Yellow Journalism
The peddling of public lies for political gain (or simply financial profit) can be found in most periods of history dating back to antiquity, it is in the late 19th-century phenomenon of 'Yellow Journalism' that it first seems to reach the widespread outcry and fever pitch of scandal familiar today.
Why yellow? An article in The Public Domain Review
explains that "the reasons are not totally clear. Some sources point to the yellow ink the publications would sometimes use, though it more likely stems from the popular Yellow Kid cartoon that first ran in Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, and later William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal, the two newspapers engaged in the circulation war at the heart of the furore."
2 Propaganda
Interestingly, 'propaganda' didn’t take on a pejorative character until the mid-19th Century, when governments increasingly saw the necessity to manipulate public opinion in favour of their actions or policies. It was widely used in France during Napoleonic times, and by Abolitionists in Britain and the United States, in their campaigns against slavery. Here are two specific (and very effective) examples:
• In the 1850s a rumour was put around that the cartridges used by the sepoys (Indian soldiers serving under the British) were greased with pork and beef fat. This was calculated to offend both Hindus and Moslems, who had to bite the ends off the ammunition before it could be used. The indignation of the soldiers added to the unrest that led to the Indian Mutiny in 1857.
• During the First World War reports of atrocities in Belgium committed by German soldiers were said to have been deliberately circulated in the UK to stimulate recruitment — Robert Graves effectively destroyed the story in 1929 in ‘Goodbye to All That’ (his mother was German).
• During the First World War reports of atrocities in Belgium committed by German soldiers were said to have been deliberately circulated in the UK to stimulate recruitment — Robert Graves effectively destroyed the story in 1929 in ‘Goodbye to All That’ (his mother was German).
Of course, one of the all-time classic fake news stories was the Orson Welles' CBS broadcastof HG Wells' War of the Worlds, which went out on 30 October 1938. The play reported that Martians had invaded New Jersey, and provided a commentary on the attack. In the photo a young, 23 yr old Welles (arms raised) is working with actors and musicians to put the finishing touches on the broadcast (which very nearly didn't happen). Some listeners mistook the broadcast for the real thing, and made desparate phone calls to police, newspaper offices and radio stations.[1]
Today propaganda — “the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behaviour to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist" — tends to be associated with foreign governments or political parties, but companies and lobby groups also produce it, and sometimes in quantity! It generally involves presenting facts or images selectively so as to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using emotive language to produce an emotional reaction / response. [2]
Identifying propaganda and distinguishing it from other forms of persuasion has always been a problem. One group or organisation may dismiss material produced by another as ‘propaganda’ while viewing its own literature as ‘balanced’, ‘objective’ and or ‘educational’. Quite how one might categorise the output from certain newspapers today is a moot point!
3 Ian Hislop's Fake News: A True History
In this new documentary
[7 Oct 2019] Ian Hislop "takes the long view of fake news" and discovers that it has been around "raking in cash or wreaking havoc long before our own confused, uncertain times." Hislop "mines history to identify what motivates fake news - from profit, power and politics to prejudice, paranoia and propaganda – as well as to try to figure out what to do about it."
"In America and back home [he] meets, amongst others, someone whose fake news stories have reached millions and a victim of fakery alleged to be a mastermind of the spurious paedophile ring ‘Pizzagate’ conspiracy. Viewers also get to see Ian doing something that has never been captured on film before – as he gets a taste of what it is like to be 'deepfaked'."
"In 1835, New Yorkers were fooled by one of the most entertaining and successful fake news scoops of all time - a tale of flying man-bats spied on the moon through the world’s most powerful telescope. The moon hoax story ran in a cheap, new tabloid - The Sun. Within decades, a circulation war waged between two pioneering press barons - Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst - was seen by many as causing a real war, between America and Spain. Meanwhile, another American conflict, the Civil War of the 1860s, had proved that photography, which initially promised new standards of accuracy, also brought new ways of lying. Ian looks at the battlefield images of pioneering photojournalist Alexander Gardner, who achieved ends by means that would be judged unethical today. He also encounters the spooky 'spirit photography' of William Mumler."
4 Fake Histories
Jeynes maintains that there are three respects in which the spread of fake history has been particularly dangerous and served as the foundation for attempts to spread fake news. "First, some historians and political thinkers present extreme leftists as heroes worthy of emulation. [He cites the hero worship of Mao Zedong.] Second, these same people too often twist history in order to present victims as oppressors and oppressors as victims. Third, these individuals often conveniently omit key statements by the nation’s founders and other historical figures."
This BBC video, 'The (not so brief) History of Fake News', explores the history of disinformation over the last century and examines techniques that are back in use today. It is by Phil Tinline and based on a Radio 4 documentary. The video is available here
[18 July 2018; 8:35 mins].
In this three-part series, 'American Histories Biggest Fibs' Lucy Worsley explores how American history has been mythologised and manipulated by generations of politicians, writers and protesters. This episode examines the American Revolution — a David-and-Goliath battle of men with high ideals taking on the might of the British Empire. But how much of America’s founding story is based on fact? The video is available here
[July 2020].
5 Faking it in Film
This article
discusses ten examples of films "rich in historical inaccuracies." The author, Geoff Heath-Taylor, includes on his list:
- 'The Birth of a Nation' (1915)
- 'Storming of the Winter Palace' (1920)
- 'JFK' (1991), 'Nixon' (1995)
- 'Pocahontas' (1995)
- 'The Patriot' (2000).
6 Further Reading
This new book
sounds interesting. Here's some of the cover blurb:
"The stories we tell about our past matter. But those stories have been shaped by prejudice, hoaxes and misinterpretations that have whitewashed entire chapters of history, erased women and invented civilisations. Today history is often used to justify xenophobia, nationalism and inequality as we cling to grand origin stories and heroic tales of extraordinary men. Exploring myths, mysteries and misconceptions about the past – from the legacies of figures like Pythagoras and Christopher Columbus, to the realities of life in the gun-toting Wild West, to the archaeological digs that have upset our understanding of the birth of civilisation."
"Full of adventures, and based on detailed research and interviews, Past Mistakes will make you reconsider your understanding of history – and of the world today. From the fall of Rome to the rise of the Wild West, David Mountain brings colour and perspective to historical mythmaking."
We can also recommend the following:
• Jacob Mchangama [2017]: 'Fake News is Old News', Quillette, 25 Aug
• Jacob Mchangama [2017]: 'Fake News is Old News', Quillette, 25 Aug
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Notes
1 You will find more examples of fake news from ancient, medieval and the early modern period here, including this cartoon of reporters with various forms of 'fake news' from an 1894 illustration by Frederick Burr Opper.
2 The definition of propaganda is by Garth Jowett & Victoria O'Donnell and is taken from Wikipedia along with the information about the Catholic Church.
3 William Jeynes is Professor of education at California State University, Long Beach.
2 The definition of propaganda is by Garth Jowett & Victoria O'Donnell and is taken from Wikipedia along with the information about the Catholic Church.
3 William Jeynes is Professor of education at California State University, Long Beach.
