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Discovery Channel admits fraud, to spread fear and alarm, for profit
Fraud, Deception And Lies: How Discovery’s Shark Week Became The Greatest Show On Earth
On July 10th, a video began circulating showing a suspected bull shark stealing fish off a line in Lake Ontario. That video went viral (with over 500,000 views, and counting), spreading through the media and seeding fear throughout Ontario. The Natural Resources Minister, Bill Mauro, even urged citizens to be on the lookout. “They should report any sightings of this animal and then we can take whatever steps we think are necessary,” he said Wednesday. “If there is a shark in Lake Ontario we need to know about it.” But, it turns out, the whole thing was just a big publicity stunt by Discovery’s Shark Week.
“This video has certainly sparked the conversation around sharks” Paul Lewis, President and General Manager of Discovery, is boastfully quoted as saying in a news release on Bell Media’s website. “We’re ready to feed this fascination next month with more Shark Week hours than ever before.”
The chipper explanation assures us that “Discovery wants to quell the concerns of Canadians everywhere” by coming clean about the hoax. Discovery’s confession is of little comfort to many in the Ontario region who spent the week worrying about what lay beneath the lake’s surface. “It’s got a lot of parents being wary,” Erin Whalen, a waitress at a restaurant on Wolfe Island, told the National Post. “I was really fearful,” local resident Laura Staley told the Vancouver Sun.
Christine Archer, an Aquatic Animal Technician with the University of Ottawa’s Animal Care & Veterinary Service, lives and works about 2 hours from Wolfe Island, where the video claimed to have been shot. “Despite being relatively ‘landlocked’ here, we still like to flock to the water,” she said. “I had people (students, staff) coming to the office and asking me about it in the halls. Everyone seemed a little freaked out.” As someone who works with a diversity of aquatic animals, Archer wasn’t fooled by the video. “Sharks don’t ‘porpoise’ their bodies like that to dive,” she said. “I insisted that the video was clearly fake, but it is hard to convince people.”
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/science-sushi/2014/07/18/fraud-deception-lies-discoverys-shark-week-became-greatest-show-earth/
On July 10th, a video began circulating showing a suspected bull shark stealing fish off a line in Lake Ontario. That video went viral (with over 500,000 views, and counting), spreading through the media and seeding fear throughout Ontario. The Natural Resources Minister, Bill Mauro, even urged citizens to be on the lookout. “They should report any sightings of this animal and then we can take whatever steps we think are necessary,” he said Wednesday. “If there is a shark in Lake Ontario we need to know about it.” But, it turns out, the whole thing was just a big publicity stunt by Discovery’s Shark Week.
“This video has certainly sparked the conversation around sharks” Paul Lewis, President and General Manager of Discovery, is boastfully quoted as saying in a news release on Bell Media’s website. “We’re ready to feed this fascination next month with more Shark Week hours than ever before.”
The chipper explanation assures us that “Discovery wants to quell the concerns of Canadians everywhere” by coming clean about the hoax. Discovery’s confession is of little comfort to many in the Ontario region who spent the week worrying about what lay beneath the lake’s surface. “It’s got a lot of parents being wary,” Erin Whalen, a waitress at a restaurant on Wolfe Island, told the National Post. “I was really fearful,” local resident Laura Staley told the Vancouver Sun.
Christine Archer, an Aquatic Animal Technician with the University of Ottawa’s Animal Care & Veterinary Service, lives and works about 2 hours from Wolfe Island, where the video claimed to have been shot. “Despite being relatively ‘landlocked’ here, we still like to flock to the water,” she said. “I had people (students, staff) coming to the office and asking me about it in the halls. Everyone seemed a little freaked out.” As someone who works with a diversity of aquatic animals, Archer wasn’t fooled by the video. “Sharks don’t ‘porpoise’ their bodies like that to dive,” she said. “I insisted that the video was clearly fake, but it is hard to convince people.”
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/science-sushi/2014/07/18/fraud-deception-lies-discoverys-shark-week-became-greatest-show-earth/
TORONTO – Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is expressing concern about a marketing stunt that had people thinking a shark may be lurking in Lake Ontario.
A YouTube video purporting to show three men surprised by a shark while fishing off a dock was posted a week ago, but it was only on Wednesday that it was revealed to be a hoax.
Discovery Canada, which is owned by broadcasting giant Bell Media, said it was a fake shark and part of their marketing campaign to promote an upcoming series on the creatures.
http://globalnews.ca/news/1456839/wynne-concerned-by-pr-stunts-like-fake-lake-ontario-shark/
A YouTube video purporting to show three men surprised by a shark while fishing off a dock was posted a week ago, but it was only on Wednesday that it was revealed to be a hoax.
Discovery Canada, which is owned by broadcasting giant Bell Media, said it was a fake shark and part of their marketing campaign to promote an upcoming series on the creatures.
http://globalnews.ca/news/1456839/wynne-concerned-by-pr-stunts-like-fake-lake-ontario-shark/
Could Canada withdraw a broadcasting licence over something like this?
12 replies
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