Streak 50; Orson Welles

One of the best remembered stories of radio drama (and maybe one of the first fake news) was Orson Welle's broadcast on Halloween night in 1938. In his novel "The War of the worlds" published in 1898, British writer H.G.Wells had created a terrifying story of destruction in which invaders from Mars arrived in England. For the adaptation, Welles changed the scenery to the United States. At the beginning of the broadcast, apparently, Wells had explained to the audience that this was a fictional story. However, some of the listeners did not hear him and assumed that the invasion was real. The Daily News headline in giant letters: "Radio's Fake War sparks terror in America"

How could people believe that was possible? Well, first, the narration was excellent and full of suspense and drama. They also added special effects such as street sounds, shouts, and bombs. Finally, the political and social context probably was also important.

On that day, Welles exposed the fine line between reality and fiction and the extraordinary power of the media. Do we have any doubts about that nowadays?

Thanks in advance!!