Opinion

News sites aren’t fooled by fake videos – they play along because it’s good for traffic

Fake viral videos don’t fool journalists. They suspend disbelief so they can write about them, argues Mumbrella’s Tim Burrowes.

Tim Burrowes

September 2, 2016 10:33

So I have a confession.

Back in 2011, I wrote a story I shouldn’t have.

A video featuring TV chef Matt Moran “losing it on set” popped up on the internet.

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Tim Burrowes

Tim Burrowes is the publisher of Mumbrella and Unmade. He co-founded Mumbrella in 2008 and sister title Unmade in 2021. He's worked in the UK, Middle East, Asia & Australia and has specialised in writing about the communications world for the last 25 years. He wrote the book Media Unmade, published in 2021, and became the presenter of MediaLand on ABC Radio National in 2025.

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5 COMMENTS

Anonymous 2 Sep 16

Timothy, please keep quiet whilst we get on and monetise this river of shit. Don’t rock the boat.

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Wazza 2 Sep 16

And media companies wonder why no one wants to pay for their content anymore…

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True Dat 2 Sep 16

I have stopped going to SMH. Every page seems to have an auto-play video, which slows the site down (morons). ABC and Guardian App is the way to go for decent news and a plethora of niche news sites too.

Goodbye Fairfax. As for News Corp: that simply isn’t news.

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NewsCorp Schill 3 Sep 16

Commenting on how News Corp isn’t news is so 2015.

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HowMuch 2 Sep 16

At least it’s not a ghost story. Looking at you SWM.

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