What would it take to pull it off again?

[wmdragon]

in this day & age, what would it take to pull off a media stunt like Orson Welles' alien invasion broadcast? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>

 

[chip5541]

In some respects we have that now.<br /><br />I think it could be pulled off with enough non-information. Remember the Blair Witch discussions.

 

[Leovinus]

I think the FCC rules were changed after that broadcast to prevent another panic. To pull this stunt off again, you'd have to find another country or risk losing your broadcast license. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[wmdragon]

good point, but let's assume the people doing it dont care about legal consequences <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>

 

[wmdragon]

the Blair Witch, thats an interesting comparison. hmmm <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>

 

[Leovinus]

Well, let's see. You could take intelligence dating from 2000 and broadcast it as an imminent terrorist threat against Wall Street in 2004. No wait -- that's been done already. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[lunatic133]

You mean make a movie that's not true and sell it as fact? I think it's been done in 2004. By Michael Moore, in fact.

 

[Leovinus]

No, that's not what I meant. And besides Moore's film, apart from being true, was not broadcast in the same way as WOTW in '39 or the way the terror alerts were broadcast. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[chip5541]

Actually the information was combined from 2000 and a recent arrest. For Michael Moore (ick!) I have several problems with his "facts" He takes information out of context in his movie or leads people to wrong conclusions by missinterpiting (man I cant spell worth a darn) events.

 

[nacnud]

The bbc tried something similar one Halloween which involved a live ghost hunt in an old house, sounds corny but it fooled me at the time (it was a few years ago) until it went that one step too far to believe... They had to put out loads of disclaimers and prove it was just drama after loads of people rang in <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[nacnud]

Found some more info on the show, it went out in 1992 and was called Ghostwatch, here is a review and the amazon page where you can buy it! (plus some more reivews)<br /><br /> <br />

 

[a_lost_packet_]

<font color="yellow"> wmdragon - ... in this day & age, what would it take to pull off a media stunt like Orson Welles' alien invasion broadcast?</font><br /><br />Ever watch Jerry Springer? "Reality" television? CNN?<br /><br />He who controls the spice.. uh.. I mean "information" controls the Universe!<br /><br />First of all, media and various information sources are intertwined so intracately that it would be almost impossible to pull the same stunt that Wells pulled off. Also, Wells was a certifiable genius in more than one sense of the word.<br /><br />First, you would have to totally control all avenues of publicly accessible information concerned with your "event." Radio, Television, people, recording devices, actors etc. Keep in mind, Wells did not do this on purpose. Most of the people listening to the show heard the disclaimers mentioned. Only a limited number of listeners believed it was really happening. Their fervor was infectious however and others tuned in to hear the "disaster" being reported by Wells' team. It was a fluke. However, it also was a learning experience for a burgeoning society on the verge of the Information Age.<br /><br />It taught us that the dissemination of information can have wide-ranging and immediate impact on our society. The import of news broadcasts and the rampant "non-regulation" of media broadcasts began to be seriously scrutinized. While it is important to recognize the 1st Amendment, it was also painfully obvious that some liberties can not be allowed. Namely, it is illegal to incite people into riot or to mask fake newscasts without adequate disclaimers. Of course, some of the "tongue in cheek" broadcasts occur without censorship but you'd be surprised how many radio programs must broadcast disclaimers due to their fictonal content.<br /><br />How to do it? Hmm. Well, there are a few ways I can think of. None of them cheap. None of them patently illegal.. well.. except the content and intent of th <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

<font color="yellow">crazyeddie - The scientifically illiterate, thrill-seeking, critical-thinking-challenged American public sucks it up and thinks it must be true, and whackos get on science forums like this and gush about how 78% of Americans think UFOs are REAL without even questioning the survey methodology. Orson Wells must be chortling in his grave! </font><br /><br />ROFL<br /><br />Great lines! I wonder if it is too long to put in a sig line? <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />..posted for the the scientifically illiterate, thrill-seeking, critical-thinking-challenged American public .. gotta love it heh heh. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[wmdragon]

thank you all, interesting posts. regarding the references to Moore and Bush, they certainly are relevant to discussions about disinformation and the power of the media, but I started this thread to consider the possibility of duping the public about events that are far-fetched or simply fantastical. a terror scare - whether authentic or fake - still originates from a clear & present danger, giant robots with death rays dont.<br /><br />there are two types of media 'stunts' to be considered here:<br /><br />(1) the mockumentary or pseudo-documentary: basically tabloid TV, with an urban legend quality to them. they probably create some believers or doubters from the gullible, misinformed or those with a penchant for conspiracy, but I expect the believed information often remains a curiosity, a distant mystery, something of little impact in the lives of those who fall for it. obviously these productions are alive and well today<br /><br />(2) WOTW & Ghostwatch: media hoaxes/accidents that manage to freak out some people due to their live nature and immediate sense of menace. they require trust in the source. as some of you pointed out it would be hard to pull it off, but the 1992 Ghostwatch incident makes me believe it may not be THAT hard. a nationwide panic is probably close to impossible without the conspiracy of considerable media elements, but something more local (city or town level) may be successfully done by a rogue band of reporters with their crews, at least for a little while.<br /><br />on a related note, does anyone remember the fake meteor impact threat one of the major networks did around 1995? they didnt put any real newscasters on it, but did strive for realism otherwise. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

Consider the "Master": P. T. Barnum.<br /><br />What did he do? He presented what the public wanted to see, wrapped in an entertaining package. Was he denounced as a fraud and a liar? No. He was regailed as, quite possibly, the foremost master of his craft: Entertaining the Public. (Well, several attempts were made over the years to criticize his exhibits during his lifetime. All were failures to one extent or another. Barnum's was a very powerful personality. I would have enjoyed meeting him.)<br /><br />The trick is, you have to either know what the public wants to experience or influence their choices. If you can affect public opinion then you have the power to use the public's own desires to further your cause. The news media is often targetted for blame using this principle. If you air news coverage of certain types of events and then build up to a "whopper" of a "white lie" you can easily rely on the public to rationalize the remainder of what is needed in order to convince everyone that your story is, in fact, valid.<br /><br />Sometimes, people want to believe something to such an extent as to forego rational thinking. That is the variable on which hoaxers and con-artists rely in order to perpetrate their deeds. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>in this day & age, what would it take to pull off a media stunt like Orson Welles' alien invasion broadcast?<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />It's worth pointing out that WOTW was neither a stunt nor a hoax. It was just a radio play. If you listen to the whole thing, as it was originally broadcast, you get station identification at the very beginning (though not constantly as we have today), a clear introduction stating that it's a radio adaptation and updating of H.G.Wells' book, and even a castlist. They break a few times during the show for musical numbers and commercials, and you'd think if they'd meant it as a hoax, they would've preempted those things to add verisimilitude. It was even publicized in advance, much as TV shows are today.<br /><br />The only reason it caused a minor panic was because (if memory serves) a repeater went down and the beginning of the broadcast wasn't transmitted to a large part of the listening audience. Plus, of course, there were the folks who simply tuned in later. But to prevent any future confusion, broadcasts now have to include station identification and program identification on a regular basis in case some listeners/viewers missed the last one and might be thinking it's all real. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[Leovinus]

Regular station ID won't make a heap of difference. How many times during 9/11 did the CNN anchors say "This is CNN"? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

I've listened to CTC, on occasion, for entertainment purposes. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> There isn't really anything on that show as far as a "driving" force other than the constant affirmation that every far-fetched idea is "true" and everyone who disagrees is attempting to "suppress" the truth.<br /><br />However, some people with a fragile grip on reality could listen to that show and get fuel for their delusions. <shrugs /> Social Darwinism proves, once again, that it is alive and well. People shouldn't pee in the shallow end of the gene-pool. It could agitate some bathers.<br /><br />At least Art Bell and his show are an example of taking your "inalienable" <chuckle /> 1'st Amendment rights and "going the limit." I guess that's worth something. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[wmdragon]

<i>It's worth pointing out that WOTW was neither a stunt nor a hoax.</i><br /><br />yes, you are right of course (ditto to lost packet beforehand). I did know the incident was accidental, so my choice of term was inappropriate, 'stunt' implies some level of intention. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>

 

[wmdragon]

weather cannot be predicted, not with the shadow government hidden under Mount Weather controlling it. FEMA? yeah right <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>

 

[5stone10]

It would take re-animating Orson Welles himself !