The Great Moon Hoax

After reading the excerpts from The New York Sun’s Moon Hoax, I was amazed that so many people bought it, but then I got to thinking that it was only 1835 and things weren’t like they are today. So it made sense thinking in those terms. It seems to me like an excellent publicity stunt that may never be done again to the same extent. Back then in 1835 the newspaper was still a relatively new piece of information and I think a majority of people would believe whatever they read, simply because it was right there in front of them in print. So with this, tons of people bought into it and word spread and this penny newspaper made a lot of money. Of course this was the intent, along with popularity and grabbing the attention of the public for how ever long it could. So this Moon Hoax grabbed the attention of the public like nothing else and sold many copies of the New York Sun along with other newspapers that jumped on board with the story. I believe that this was a defining point for the newspaper industry because even thought it was fake news, it still showed that if you print something worth while, then people will buy and read it. It showed the power of the press. I don’t think something like this will ever happen again, just because you would need all forms of media in on it to pull the wool over America’s eyes or even the worlds. It’s just too easy now to get news stories from anyplace, weather it be your computer, phone or TV. I think the Moon Hoax is a classic example of someone trying to make some money. It worked.