Fake news is not new. Fake news has been circulating for at least as long as news and gossip have been circulating. Read the following articles for historical examples of fake news and disinformation.
- Darnton, R. (2017) 'The True History of Fake News', The New York Review of Books, 13 February.
- Soll, J. (2016) 'The Long and Brutal History of Fake News', Politico Magazine, 18 December.
- Starsman, B. J. (No date) '10 Examples of Fake News from History', The Social Historian.
- BBC Radio 4: Disinformation: A User's Guide
In this edition of Archive on 4, Phil Tinline mines the archives to trace the story of 'disinformation' - navigating the slippery history of such incidents as the Zinoviev Letter, the Reichstag Fire, the Moscow Trials and the allegations that the US used germ warfare in the Korean War.
- Ian Hislop's Fake News: A True History
BBC Documentary available through Box of Broadcasts
Ask yourself is it easier for more fake new and disinformation to spread as more and more information and comment is available online. What can you do to protect yourself and others?
