b'YOU ARE MYTH TAKENFAKE NEWS IN HISTORYCOMPILED BY MARCEL BRUINSIt is clear that the reasons to come out with fake news stories are different. Among the reasons are political advantage, financial gain, or an attempt to entertain. And then there are stories that come about by mistake while others are an act of desperation. It is well shown that all this inaccurate and misleading information intensifies social polarisation, and erodes public trust in democratic institutions. It can cause harm to people and society ranging from being rather innocuous to causing severe mental and physical harm.In a series of articles, theA printer named WilliamNew York Sun claimed that Anderton was tried at thethere was an alien civilization Central Criminal Court ofon the moon, which were England and Wales, forfalsely attributed to a well-High Treason becauseknown astronomer of the time he had published twonamed Sir John Herschel. The tracts designed to incitearticle reported that Herschel the population towardshad made these discoveries rebellion against theFake news played a role inusing new hydro-oxygen King. He also called forcatalysing the Enlightenment,magnifiers and went on to the restoration of the Latewhen the Catholic Churchs falsedescribe how the discovery King James. The jury foundexplanation of the 1755 Lisbonwas made. This Great Moon Anderton guilty, and he wasEarthquake prompted VoltaireHoax established the Sun as a executed the next day. to speak out against religiousleading, profitable newspaper.dominance. 1693 Mid-1700s 1755 1803 1835 1890sRival U.S. newspaper publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Hearst competed As Britain was preparing to endover the audience through the Treaty of Amiens and declaresensationalism and reporting During the height of thewar on France, a letter was handrumours as though they Jacobite rebellion in Greatdelivered to Sir Charles Price, thewere facts, a practice that Britain, seditious printersLord Mayor of London. Allegedlybecame known at the time as printed fake news, evenwritten by Lord Hawkesbury, theyellow journalism. Their going so far as to report thatletter claimed that the disputeincredulous news played a King George II was ill, inwith France was amicablyrole in leading the U.S. into an attempt to destabilizesettled. The mayor took thethe Spanish-American War the establishment. Suchletter to the Stock Exchangeof 1898. Eventually there was fake news was picked up byto share the joyous news.a backlash against the lack more reputable printers andMeanwhile, suspicions aboutof journalistic integrity: The republished, making it difficultthe validity of the letter werepublic demanded more to tell fact from fiction.raised, and enquiries ensued. Itobjective and reliable was determined that the letternews sources, which created was indeed a forgery, but bya niche that The New York then, it was too late. Many stocksTimes was able to fill at the had changed hands at inflatedturn of the 20th century. Yellow rates. All attempts to identify thejournalism became less perpetrator of the hoax failed. common. That is, until the rise of web-based news brought it all back in full force.8IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'