FAKE NEWS, RUMOURS AND URBAN LEGENDS: DEFINITION, ORIGINS AND CONSEQUENCES

Aurore Van de Winkel May 2019

S Fake news?

S Wrong information created deliberately or used by political authorities, economic lobby groups or ideological lobby groups.

S This false information has an impact on the manner you can evaluate a situation or the pertinence of a political, economical or ideological decision.

-> Propaganda An important money transfer for Europe? The Leaflet of Villejuif

Rumour

S Information not publicly confirmed neither denied by official sources.

S It could be true! Origins

• An important but ambiguous event in which certain details or information are missing.

• The Result of a wrong interpretation

• A Lie Contents

• Political (conspiracy theories),

• socio-cultural (prejudice),

• economical (companies and lobbies),

• health (food panics-medecine - techno-fear),

• etc. Why do people propagate rumours?

• To harm,

• to manipulate,

• to manage danger and threat,

• to understand the unexplained, complex phenomena, or ambiguous situations,

• to inform, • to bring sense,

• to control our environment,

• to reduce the emotional impact of dire situations.

Urban Legend

Short narratives, which explain unusual events which happened to an individual in the close past.

They express the fears and aspirations of the population.

Urban Legend is always false! Origins

• Transformed real facts

• Jokes, told as true stories

• Fiction,

S It is very difficult to find the origin and the author of an urban legend. Why do people propagate urban legends?

• To entertain,

• to bring sense,

• to give advices,

• to reduce anxiety,

• to talk about authentic social problems, • To warn of a danger,

• To create solidarity,

• To increase the feeling of affiliations of the members of this group,

• To reconfirms their values by desigating a scapegoat False information has consequences

• politicals,

• economicals

• socio-culturals,

• legals,

• health

• psychologicals S Some questions?

S Thank you! [email protected] www.gerezlesrumeurs.com

S Book « Gérer les rumeurs, ragots et autres bruits » (Edipro, 2012)

S Book « Les légendes urbaines de Belgique » (Avant-Propos, 2017)

S 0032(0)474/435994

S @avandewinkel