Great Moon Hoax

The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 is a fascinating and foundational example of disinformation in the age of print, and it offers a clear lens through which to understand how similar deceptions can operate in today's digital media landscape.

The Great Moon Hoax as Disinformation (1835)

The Great Moon Hoax was a series of six sensational articles published in The New York Sun newspaper starting in August 1835. It is a classic example of disinformation because the publisher intentionally created and spread false information to deceive the public.

How the Disinformation Worked:

• The Deception: The articles claimed that the famous astronomer Sir John Herschel had used a revolutionary, high-powered telescope in South Africa to make astonishing discoveries about the Moon. These "discoveries" included lush lunar landscapes, oceans, strange flora, and, most sensationally, new species of animals, including "Vespertilio-Homo"—men with bat-like wings.

• The Intent: The goal was not political, but purely commercial. The owner of the paper wanted to increase sales and readership. The extraordinary nature of the story, coupled with the convincing, scientific-sounding language, made it go viral for the time.

• The Authority Effect: The hoax worked by invoking a trusted, legitimate authority: the renowned astronomer Sir John Herschel. By attributing the fantastical findings to a real, highly respected scientist and a real, advanced piece of equipment, the story gained a powerful, albeit false, sense of credibility.

• The Amplification: Other newspapers in the U.S. and Europe, eager to attract readers, reprinted the story before it could be verified. This lack of initial fact-checking by the wider media helped the disinformation spread rapidly and convincingly.

In short, the paper successfully used a believable source, sensational content, and the media-as-business incentive to turn a complete fabrication into the biggest news story of its era.

The Role of New Technology:

1. Generative AI and Deepfakes: In 1835, the Moon Hoax relied on the reader's imagination to picture the "bat-men." Today, using tools like deepfakes, an adversary could create a highly convincing, original video of a real famous scientist announcing a false discovery, making the disinformation exponentially more believable and difficult to debunk.

2. Echo Chambers: The 1835 hoax was exposed within a month when the editor confessed. Today, social media algorithms can trap users in echo chambers, showing them only content that confirms their existing beliefs. This environment allows disinformation to circulate indefinitely within a closed group, making it resistant to outside fact-checking or exposure.

3. Speed and Scale: The most critical difference is the speed of dissemination. The Moon Hoax took days or weeks to spread across continents; modern disinformation can spread to millions globally in minutes through viral sharing, giving the truth little time to catch up.