Many hoax stories travel around the world via the internet. What is a Hoax? What are the best-known stories and phenomena? We look at a number of examples of widely distributed Hoaxes.
What is a Hoax?
,Hoax, is said to be a contraction of ,Hocus Pocus,. It is an English word for scam, fake, deception or a trick.
The word has gained popularity in recent years, both on the internet and through other media. The word Hoax is used in English-speaking countries to describe a joke, a hoax or a fake news report that many people have fallen for.
Some well-known Hoax stories
A number of Hoax stories traveled around the world and even made it to the world press. We go over some of the most famous fables of recent years.
Mass child marriages in Gaza
In 2009, photos and images were distributed of a mass child marriage in the Gaza region. According to the report, 450 girls between the ages of 6 and 10 are married to men between the ages of 16 and 30.
The message made it to the world press and many viewers reacted angrily and indignantly. Afterwards it turned out that the girls were not the brides, but bridal children.
Bonsai catkins
In the early 2000s, a website was founded where so-called bonsai catkins were displayed and sold. The kittens were placed in a bottle like little animals and continued to grow in the shape of the bottle. Feeding, ventilation and defecation were supposedly done through a tube.
Of course, the story turned out to be untrue, but before it became known, the bonsai kittens had already shocked thousands of people. The story came from some American students, who wanted to demonstrate with their experiment how easy it is to convince a crowd of people, no matter how unrealistic it may sound.
The big donor show
In 2007, BNN broadcast ,The Great Donor Show,, a program in which a sick woman searched for the perfect kidney donor. She could choose from several candidates, and the viewer could vote for the so-called best candidate via text message.
The show attracted no less than 1.2 million viewers, who believed the story. Afterwards it turned out to be a stunt to draw more attention to organ donation.
The secession of Flanders
When RTBF, the Belgian French-language broadcaster, announced in 2006 that Flanders had seceded from Belgium, the country was turned upside down. The news report stated that the King had fled, that Brussels trams could no longer reach Flanders and that there was police surveillance at the language border.
This hoax caused quite a stir and was not appreciated by many political leaders.