The time around Halloween often inspires hoaxes in the media, which should remind viewers of the importance of skepticism.
Of course, Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of H.G. Wells “The War of the Worlds” in the form of a realistic sounding newscast on October 30, 1938 is probably the most famous. The number of people who took this program seriously has been exaggerated over the years. But despite the fame of Welles’ broadcast, similar broadcasts in Chile on November 12, 1944, in Ecuador in February 1949 and in Buffalo, NY on Halloween 1968 also succeeded in panicking some listeners.
Across the pond, the BBC pulled a similar stunt with a television program called “Ghostwatch” on October 31, 1992. This prerecorded and scripted program was presented as if it were a live broadcast of a poltergeist investigation in London. The broadcast sparked some controversy and has never been repeated.
Finally, the internet has been a fertile breeding ground for such hoaxes. One famous one began November 2, 2000. This was the date of the first “John Titor” post. This fictional person claimed to be a time traveller from the year 2036 and gained considerable attention, at least until some of his predictions turned out to be wrong.
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(This essay originally appeared in a slightly different form on Skepticality episode #141)
Tim Farley is a JREF Research Fellow in electronic media.