(months of quiet as investigation continues, no reporting during this time)
ORIGINAL SHOCKING MEMORABLE HEADLINE CONTINUES TO CIRCULATE, SLOWLY BECOMING THE TRUTH
(investigation quietly wraps up some months later, with conclusions that don't support the original claims; in fact, turns out to be nothing)
(news outlet quietly runs a correction of the story placed obscurely, certainly not with the same effort or prominence as original claim)
STUPID PUBLIC BELIEVES ORIGINAL CLAIM FOR DECADES SINCE THEY'RE TOO FUCKING LAZY TO ACTUALLY LEARN ABOUT A SUBJECT THEY CLAIM TO CARE ABOUT; ORIGINAL CRAZY CLAIMS BECOME HISTORY
People should really go through old newspaper archives to see how the tide runs. This shit has been happening since the penny press. But nobody cares about yesterday's news or the truth; they just remember ORIGINAL SHOCKING THING and it becomes history.
Sweet, beautiful propaganda cycle:
SHOCKING MEMORABLE HEADLINES FOR A WEEK
(months of quiet as investigation continues, no reporting during this time)
ORIGINAL SHOCKING MEMORABLE HEADLINE CONTINUES TO CIRCULATE, SLOWLY BECOMING THE TRUTH
(investigation quietly wraps up some months later, with conclusions that don't support the original claims; in fact, turns out to be nothing)
(news outlet quietly runs a correction of the story placed obscurely, certainly not with the same effort or prominence as original claim)
STUPID PUBLIC BELIEVES ORIGINAL CLAIM FOR DECADES SINCE THEY'RE TOO FUCKING LAZY TO ACTUALLY LEARN ABOUT A SUBJECT THEY CLAIM TO CARE ABOUT; ORIGINAL CRAZY CLAIMS BECOME HISTORY
People should really go through old newspaper archives to see how the tide runs. This shit has been happening since the penny press. But nobody cares about yesterday's news or the truth; they just remember ORIGINAL SHOCKING THING and it becomes history.