News Trolls and Hoaxes (Historic and Recent)

I was reading about the mass media advent of the News Troll/ Hoax phenom even before the latest examples popped up.

Sniggle.net cites some classic examples, including the ever popular campaign to Arm the Homeless.



But just watching cable news the past couple days I knew we had more unfolding.

There's those for profit like the Wendy's finger hoax and the backyard treasure hoax...


These tools were really pushing it.


And now the breaking news on the runaway bride "abduction" of Jennifer Wilbanks from Duluth Georgia.

Even after days of getting their butts handed to them by jokers, the cable news outlets as of 6 AM this morning we're all a titter at the "release" of Jennifer Wilbanks. :shk: In Vegas. :shk: Out of the goodness of the kidnappers' hearts. :shk: On her wedding day. :shk:

Dumbasses.


[edit on 30-4-2005 by RANT]

There is a nationwide thirst for 24 hour news channels. People want to know every detail as it comes in and they know that accuracy might be the price they pay for getting their instant gratification.

Media coverage is the best way to find a missing person. It's a shame for everyone involved when people fake their own abduction, but for future TRUE abductees, it could be fatal. The media is more hesitant to air future stories that comes along in case they too are hoaxes. It's a mess.

My personal belief is that we should have an entire channel dedicated to missing persons. If we can have channels dedicated to game shows, video games, etc., why not have a channel that gives people 24 info on missing persons both old cases and brand new ones?

It's disturbing that people feel the need to trick others or get their 15 minutes of fame, but I believe that for the most part, the media is just doing their job and getting the story out to the public who is hungry for more stories and endless details. Blame the tricksters, don't shoot the messenger.

Jemison

One has to ask themselves, why the media went all gaga over one adult female missing, when every year in New York State alone 200,000 children go missing.

It would see "amber alert", and/or "missing/exploited youth", should just have its own channel.

A year or two ago, we got an automated message from the police department that a girl was missing in town, but we never got a follow up message saying if she was found or not.

Originally posted by Legalizer
One has to ask themselves, why the media went all gaga over one adult female missing, when every year in New York State alone 200,000 children go missing.

Because it could have the Laci Peterson Lori Hacking effect which is good for ratings.

I knew as soon as I saw her face that she was out and about getting the last taste of the free life before marriage. Probably banging as many homeless guys along the way as she could. Sorry to say it that way but it's my opinion and one which free speech entitles me.

One has to ask themselves, why the media went all gaga over one adult female missing, when every year in New York State alone 200,000 children go missing.

WTF??!! 200,000 children go missing in ONE state? I assume most are found safe and well. If not, this is absolutley terrible or you have the number wrong.

Thats the number from an advertisement on the side of a bus, for some missing children organization, back in 2001. It stuck to me.

I just found some numbers from 1988
354,000 family abductions a year
3,200 to 4,600 stranger abductions
450,000 runaways.

in 2002 another study came out.

According to NISMART-2 research, which studied the year 1999,
an estimated 797,500 children were reported missing;
58,200 children were abducted by nonfamily members;
115 children were the victims of the most serious, long-term nonfamily abductions called "stereotypical kidnappings"; and
203,900 children were the victims of family abductions.

Seems there is several hundred thousand kids no accounted for in that quote.

This sheds some light

An estimated 203,900 children were victims of a family abduction in 1999. Among these, 117,200 were missing from their caretakers, and, of these, an estimated 56,500 were reported to authorities for assistance in locating the children.

Forty-three percent of the children who were victims of family abduction were not considered missing by their caretakers because the caretakers knew the children’s whereabouts or were not alarmed by the circumstances (see “Conceptualizing the Problem,”).

Forty-four percent of family abducted children were younger than age 6.

Fifty-three percent of family abducted children were abducted by their biological father, and 25 percent were abducted by their biological mother.

Forty-six percent of family abducted children were gone less than 1 week, and 21 percent were gone 1 month or more.

Only 6 percent of children abducted by a family member had not yet returned at the time of the survey interview.

The only important hoaxes are the supposed "jewish extermination plan" by the NSDAP, supposed involvement of Muslem fundamentalists in the 9/11, the Nick Berg beheading and recent London bombings, ...

Who cares about the tabloid-level BS in the first post?!?