Hoaxes
A hoax is a trick meant to deceive the public. In some cases, such as April fools jokes, the intent is merely to fool the public. In other cases, such as side-show exhibits, the main intent is to make money for the hoaxer. A hoaxer may also be after free publicity. There are also times when the hoaxer is trying to help or hurt a particular group, or has a political objective. And sometimes, of course, hoaxes have unexpected consequences.
Sometimes good events and discoveries have been dismissed as hoaxes. For example, the duckbill platypus, discovered at a time when several other "discoveries" had been exposed as hoaxes, was originally widely dismissed as a hoax. More recently, several environmental problems have been dismissed as hoaxes (this dismissal seems to be restricted to a small number of extremists). The article "Scientists expose global warming hoax" by Gerard Jackson published in the New Australian (which frequently publishes extreme anti-environmental tracts) is typical. No evidence for any deception is presented, the article relies on faulty science (scientists use a number of computer models, there is no such thing as "the IPCC's computer model", and the models predict the climate, not "weather conditions")and there is no citation for the paper discussed.
Some famous hoaxes
Protocol of the Elders of Zion
Piltdown man
Report from Iron Mountain
E-mail viruses
Related topic
Links for hoaxes
Sophos describes hoaxes and scares
Health Related Hoaxes and Rumors
Vmyths.com- Truth About Computer Virus Myths & Hoaxes
CDC Health-Related Hoaxes & Rumors
Symantec Security Response - Hoax Page
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Written by Jim Norton
Visit my anti-environmental myths home page.
Visit my practical skepticism page
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