Hoax

In the September 28th, 1980 issue of the Washington Post, readers were greeted by the horrifying artwork of a story titled "Jimmy's World." The story had the subtitle "8-Year-Old Heroin Addict Lives for a Fix." Needless to say, this story made same waves throughout the nation. Over the next six months, the author of the piece - a 26-year-old reporter named Janet Cooke - found herself at the center of one of the largest journalism scandals of all-time...

In the final week of March 1985, an article from "Sports Illustrated" began to circulate through the media. Written by noted journalist George Plimpton, the article detailed a 28-year old New York Mets pitching prospect, who could allegedly throw the baseball more than 168 miles-per-hour. When the truth was finally discovered, April Fool's Day had come and gone...

At the turn of the millennium, a mummy was found in Karachi, Pakistan. It was being sold on the black market, and appeared to be the daughter of Xerxes - the Persian King of Kings. However, when scientists began to conduct tests to determine the validity of the mummy, they discovered a wide-ranging mystery that endures to this day...

What is a hoax? It is often used alongside phrases such as "conspiracy theory" or "urban legend," but a hoax is a purposeful deception meant to fool several people. This podcast will dive into a select number of infamous hoaxes, exploring not only the people involved, but the consequences that followed.To learn more, you can follow the podcast on the following social media links: https://www.facebook.com/hoaxpodhttps://www.twitter.com/hoaxpodPodcast logo/image courtesy of Jaak Horn