20th Century Fox has acknowledged and apologized for creating fake news sites and stories designed to promote its products by attracting readers with click bait.
The fake topics included “Lady Gaga, President Trump, vaccinations and mental health,” according to The New York Times.
The fake sites were given names, including “the Houston Leader,” “the Salt Lake City Guardian,” “the New York Morning Post,” “the Indianapolis Gazette,” and “the Sacramento Dispatch,” according to the Washington Post.
20th Century Fox issued an apology for fake sites and news, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“In raising awareness for our films, we do our best to push the boundaries of traditional marketing in order to creatively express our message to consumers. In this case, we got it wrong. The digital campaign was inappropriate on every level, especially given the trust we work to build every day with our consumers,” said 20th Century Fox.
“We have reviewed our internal approval process and made appropriate changes to ensure that every part of a campaign is elevated to and vetted by management in order to avoid this type of mistake in the future. We sincerely apologize.”
The fake articles appearing on the sites reportedly were co-produced with a company known for fake news, but the creator wasn’t identified by 20th Century Fox.
One of the fake sites, the Sacramento Dispatch, came out with a story with a headline in all caps that read, “BOMBSHELL.”
“Trump and Putin Spotted at Swiss Resort Prior to Election,” said the headline, reported the Post.
“Amidst controversy that President Trump had ties with the Russian government prior to the 2016 presidential election, a shocking, yet currently unsubstantiated report comes from sources within the Alpine region of Switzerland,” read the article.
Facebook users, who didn’t know the news sites and articles were fake, came across a trailer for a film, “A Cure for Wellness,” according to the Times.
The Post said the fake news sites were developed to create some publicity for the film made by 20th Century Fox.
“Fake news is not a cute or silly subject,” said Susan Credle, global chief creative officer of adgency FCB, per the Times. “When you start to tear down media and question what’s real and what’s not real, our democracy is threatened.”
“I think this is a hot enough subject that most marketers would understand that taking advantage of a vulnerable public is dangerous,” she added.
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