In the tumultuous history of information, disinformation has frequently served as a tool for divergent, even malicious, intentions. “Fake news”, translated as false news or misleading information, is not a recent phenomenon despite its prevalence in current discussions on social media and news platforms.
Long before the digital age, false information was spread through rumors, posts and speeches, often generating palpable consequences on society. Either it’s about manipulate public opinionof destabilize political regimesor simply to create a sensation, fake news has, throughout the ages, demonstrated its insidious power and its ability to shape history in sometimes unpredictable ways.
18th century: cracks
In the gardens of the Palais-Royal, in Paris, a famous chestnut tree brings together under its shadow the “novellalists” of the time, who come to exchange information on current events in Europe, attracting a whole audience of curious people. Among these news, many “cracks”, or lieshence its nickname: the Krakow tree. He was killed in 1781.
1903: an imaginary Jewish plot
First publication in Russia of Protocols of the Elders of Zion, fake book designed by the tsar’s secret service to denounce an imaginary Jewish conspiracy. It presents itself as a report of supposed secret meetings where Jewish leaders outline their plans to dominate the world, by controlling the press or the economy. Having become a world bestseller, it was exploited by Hitler in order to support his anti-Semitic policyand continues to circulate in the 21st century.
1983: the rumor of AIDS as a biological weapon
The KGB lance Operation Infection with the help of the East German Stasi. In the midst of the Cold War, he spread the rumor that the AIDS virus was a biological weapon developed by the American army in its laboratory at Fort Detrick. The first article, published in an Indian newspaper, is signed by “a well-known scientist”. The thesis was abandoned in 1987.
1987: Isabelle Adjani is given up for dead
Given up for dead following a disinformation campaign, the actress Isabelle Adjani is forced to come and speak on TF1’s 20 Hours in order to prove that she is fine. “Don’t believe everything that is said,” she says, moved, to viewers. A survey will show that, despite this denial, the percentage of people believing in the death of the star remained unchanged (23% before versus 27% after).
1989: the mass grave of Timisoara
In Timisoara (Romania), the press broadcasts images of a mass grave, the result of the repression of the dictator Ceausescu. We are talking about “4,630 corpses”. In reality, it was about twenty bodies dug up from a cemetery. This faux scoopborn from a media frenzy, will bring lasting discredit to journalists.
1996: the theory of “chemtrails”
A great classic of conspiracy theory, the theory of “chemtrails” is relaunched following a report from the US Air Force. Its followers firmly believe that the condensation trails left on passing planes are chemical products spread to poison the population or control the climate. A tenacious idea, which appeared in the 1960s, fueled by abundant pseudoscientific literature and more or less far-fetched testimonies. 15% of French people would adhere to it (Ifop, 2019).
2003: false evidence regarding anthrax
At the UN, Colin Powell, Secretary of State under George W. Bush, brandishes a vial containing a white powder that he passes off as l’anthrax. Through this deception, the Americans intend to make the world believe that Iraq has an arsenal of chemical weapons in order to justify their war against this country. Aware that it was about false evidencePowell reportedly declared before his speech: “I’m not going to read that, it’s bullshit!”
2016 : Hillary Clinton et le pizzagate
Hillary Clinton implicated in “pizzagate”. The candidate for the presidency of the United States would be at the head ofa pedophile network organizing his orgies in a Washington pizzeria, the Comet Ping Pong. Some believe they detect coded messages in the emails of one of his relatives: “pizza” means “little girl”; “pasta”, “little boy”… The cabal will contribute to his defeat against Donald Trump.
2018: the video of Migrants in Paris
Part of an American Facebook profile, a two-minute video claims to show “migrants invading a Parisian station”. Viewed nearly a million times in two days all over the world, the sequence was taken from a anti-racist demonstration dating back several months.
2020: Covid-19 and anti-vaxxers
A rumor arises: “big pharma” will take advantage of the Covid-19 epidemic to “chip” humanity. She would use her vaccines to inject electronic implants intended to control us. An unrealizable fantasy, mixing different fears (vaccination obligation, 5G, population surveillance, etc.).
Polls indicate that 21% of French people believe in at least 5 conspiracy theories, that 25% of the links shared on social networks about the 2017 presidential election came from sites promoting fake news and that 82% of French people think that young people should be trained to detect fake news.
Sources: Ifop, 2019; Bakamo Cabinet; Mit study, published in Science, 2018; Kantar-Sofrès 2018 barometer of trust in the media.
You may also be interested in:
⋙ Fake news from French History
⋙ We (almost) all believe in a conspiracy theory, it’s proven!
⋙ Fake news, anti-vax, mistrust… How did health get to this point in France?
2023-11-25 21:00:40
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