Monday 27 December 2010

More Fake Stories....

The first thing anyone knew about Starsuckers was when the Guardian splashed the news on it's front page that we had been selling fake celebrity stories to the Tabloid Press. At the time I wrote a guide so that anyone else who wanted to make a few quid in these tough times could earn some quick cash selling their own nonsense to the great British Press. After the British TV screening on More4 in April, I suddenly started getting emails from students who had seen the film, been inspired, and picked up the phone to tabloid newsrooms and spun some yarns. The full details can be read in an article about these copycat hoaxes in the Independent Newspaper here.

Hearing we had a new generation of hoaxers snapping at our heels, we realised we had to raise our game. So over the summer myself and Jonny Howorth faked a film about Urban Fox Hunting that was taken seriously by the entire British Press and BBC news. Read the full story here.

In it's own way hoaxing can highlight misreporting and media distortion better than any artlcle or blog post. If the news is putting out the wrong story, create something ridiculous that fits their set narrative, and send it in to the newsdesks. Happy hoaxing.

No comments:

Post a Comment