20Th Century Fox has issued an apology concerning a fake news media campaign that was developed to help promote an upcoming film.
President Trump, Lady Gaga were subject of hoaxes
The stunt was intended to promote the film, “A Cure for Wellness.” Dubbed a psychological horror/thriller film, the story of the film focuses on an executive who becomes trapped at a health spa after suffering a broken leg during a car crash. While at the rehabilitation center, he learns of macabre practices being performed by the staff, when it is ultimately revealed that he had only been manipulated into thinking that he was injured to begin with.
Due to the concept of deceit throughout the film, one method of promotion the film employed was the creation of fake news websites, which often got political in nature, that displayed ads and links to the film's official website. In one of the more controversial articles, one false news story alleged that President Donald Trump had enacted an executive order that would ban vaccinations for children in the upcoming three months. Many of these fake news articles became widespread on social media platforms, such on Facebook, with people not realizing the stories were hoaxes.
Not all the articles focused on healthcare issues, which alluded to the concept of villainous healthcare workers within the film.
Another article released claimed singer Lady Gaga would feature a tribute to Islam during her half-time performance, preceding the event in question. This story appeared to be the most successful story from the campaign on viral media, with over 65,000 shares.
The studio hopes to avoid similar actions in the future
In the statement, 20th Century Fox said that the the promotion was "inappropriate on every level" and admitted that they potentially took advantage of the trust they were given by their fans and consumers.
Dan Berger, who serves as a spokesman for the 20th Century Fox movie studio, claimed that the promotion originated as a way to possibly promote the film in an innovative way, but made clear that the studio regretted what had happened. He also claimed that the studio would try to avoid similar stunts in the future.
According to reports, Facebook has already taken measures to fight such fake news stories, including those involved with the promotion, In a released statement, however, the media company said it would still need the aid of "community and third-party organizations" to accomplish getting rid of these stories in general.
