Arbiters of Truth at Play: Media April Fools' Day Hoaxes

(Folk)Life, Interrupted: Challenges for Fieldwork, Empathy, and Public Discourse in the Age of Trump

“…There are many great examples of this kind of work by folklorists. Some include Brunvand (2001); Langlois (2005); Burger (2009); Meder (2009); Smith (2009);Frank (2011Frank ( , 2015and Mould (2018).…”

The Library that Cried Wolf: Outcomes of a Banned Book Hoax on Facebook

“…The risks involved in hoaxing are identified as an audience that may not appreciate being tricked, compromising the credibility of the organizations involved, or the hoax backfiring. There is also the professional risk the individual takes when turning a blind eye toward professional standards (Smith, 2009), such as the Public Relations Society of America Member Code of Ethics (2014), which states, "We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public. "…”

“…However, writers and reporters are occasionally fired for initiating hoaxes, and the Federal Communications Commission warned, at one time, that hoaxing may cause a station to lose its license (Fedler, 1989). More recently, in addition to print, radio, and television, news organizations also use the Internet to disseminate their primarily amusing hoaxes (Smith, 2009).…”

“…In order to retain credibility as a trusted information source, the media traditionally leverage the license given to April Fool's Day for hoaxing. Additionally, they may embed clues in the article, include information that is clearly absurd, or print a disclaimer, also known as debunking (Smith, 2009).…”