Art of Conning: PR Stunts and Satire

Remember that viral video of a hawk dropping a snake on an innocent family picnic by the Yarra river?

NOPE.

It was a PR stunt. The fake video reached 5 million views within 48 hours and was covered by multiple media outlets from around the world.

While this is relatively harmless, there’s an important question to be asked: when is satire satire and not fake news?

Satire or Fake News?

Along with his denouncement of mainstream media, Trump also lashed out at the Saturday Night Live skit featuring Alec Baldwin.

 

Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me.Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016

On top of that, there are plenty of news satire sits such as The Onion and our very own, The Betoota Advocate. However, detecting satire may be a lost art form. The New York Times reported that China’s Reference News published a satirical article from the Borowitz Report, legitimately claiming that Trump ordered all White House phones to be covered in tin foils.

Source: The Washington Post

Why does it matter?

Satire has long played an important role in democracy- it subverts and questions authority. It also is accessible, and easily digestible, especially for millennials in the forms of memes, commentaries, and articles. Conflating ‘fake news’ with satire leaves an entire generation disillusioned, discouraging them from engaging in politics and debates.

In an era of post-truth, w need to better equip people with the necessary skills and tools to distinguish satire from fake news. This is why media literacy is so important.

Next in the series- Art of Conning: Actual Fake News

 

Art of Conning: A Half-Truth

 

We all think we’re pretty smart enough not to believe that weird article your grandma shared on Facebook.

Ok, Grandma

Source: Imgur

Thing is, fake news isn’t always that easy to spot. Sign in to any social media and the endless scrolling overwhelms you with huge amounts of information. On top of that, fake news spread quickly online, and before you can even fact check one article someone’s already got their pitchforks ready.

So, beyond obviously fake and manipulated photos/videos, how are you being conned online? This series will look at the ways were being deceived online by fake news when we least suspect it.

The first part of this series looks at how fake news deceive even the most media literate of us- when something real and true is presented as a lie.

When the Truth becomes a Lie

With millions of photos and videos being shared everyday, the Internet provides a rich database of content. Content that can easily be misinterpreted or decontextualised. According to a research by the Visual Social Media Lab, 30 percent of problematic photos are real, but out-of-context, photos.

During September 2017, a Facebook post claimed that the following video was Hurricane Irma tearing through Antigua and Barbuda.

 

This video wasn’t even shot in the Carribean. It was actually from April 2016, during a tornado in Dolores, Uruguay.

 

A Half-Truth

A half-truth is defined as a statement that contains elements of the truth, but is deceptive in nature.

In January 2018, Donald Trump, tweeted that Black Unemployment was at its lowest due to his policies.

Somebody please inform Jay-Z that because of my policies, Black Unemployment has just been reported to be at the LOWEST RATE EVER RECORDED!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2018

He isn’t technically wrong. Black unemployment was at record low, but the rate has been in decline since 2010.

Source: politifact

This is precisely what is problematic, and potentially terrifying, about fake news. We often see truth and facts as the means to combat fake news. But what happens when truth can be manipulated and presented as a lie? Who do we trust then?

Next in the series- Art of Conning: Manipulation

-Maria

And the Oscars goes to this Guy…

Covering natural disasters has always been a ritual for news. One particular coverage by Weather Channel reporter, Mike Seidel, has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

So dramatic! Dude from the weather channel bracing for his life, as 2 dudes just stroll past. #HurricaneFlorence pic.twitter.com/8FRyM4NLbL

— Tony scar. (@gourdnibler) September 14, 2018

In this video, Seidel is seen struggling against the winds and bracing ‘for his life’. Meanwhile, two guys in the background casually stroll by.

 

You’re doing amazing, sweetie

Source: metro.co.uk

Sensationalist images like this proves that fake news isn’t just limited to the political sphere.  Sensationalism sells, and the media knows it. Viewers are motivated by the pleasure of an emotional impact.

While videos like this are easy to spot and roast endlessly till we find the next cringe meme, some are harder to spot. That’s why an informed audience is important in combatting the rise of fake news. We need to equip ourselves with the tools and skills necessary to know what information is worth absorbing and what needs to be overlooked.

-Maria