We’re regularly criticised for exposing rumours here at Push Square, but we try to bust as much fake news as possible because people actually believe some of these stories. Case in point: the web went wild for a Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 "leak" this weekend, which was authored by a random Reddit poster. That message has since been deleted, with the original writer admitting it was all a big fat fake.
You can still read the original rumour on dozens of websites, in which intricate details about the so-called sequel were “exposed”. Some publications even “warn” readers that there are spoilers for the hotly anticipated sequel within, which is particularly amusing when you consider that it’s entirely fan fiction. Among the features mooted are a dynamic weather system and Peter Parker-themed photography quests.
“Thank you for an entertaining 24 hours,” the original poster wrote. “The recent leak on 17th April was entirely made-up in quarantine-induced boredom. As a long-time Spider-Man and video game fan, I just wanted to garner a reaction on things I believe would make the sequel even better than the first, but it got out of hand faster than expected.”
The author goes on to reiterate that his post was entirely made-up, but that he’s excited to see what Insomniac Games eventually delivers. It’s a reminder that you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet: check your sources, remain critical, and don’t be fooled by random strangers who purport to have insider knowledge.
[source reddit.com, via reddit.com]
Comments 24
A green goblin boss fight will be amazing.venom and the sandman.word up son
Who criticises you for exposing fake news? I think it's a good thing for you to do that
@ralphdibny the wording is misleading. They haven't been criticized for exposing rumours, but rather for writing articles about rumours, even when those rumours are obviously completely unfounded.
I've heard that the PS5 gives you airborne diseases.
Media is fooled?
Impossible.
@Rudy_Manchego must be the 5G connection.
@ralphdibny Oh you have no idea! Happens all the time.
@naruball and all the plans of the Illuminati
@Rudy_Manchego dude, you're not supposed to talk about that. If anything happens, it was good knowing ya.
@naruball or maybe I am working for them?
@Rudy_Manchego
@naruball The posts have no problem at all since they are ALL labeled "RUMOUR" right at the start of the headline.
@AFCC you're missing the point.
No one said they're labelled as news. But let me give you an example. BBC posts an article on their website entitled
"Rumour: covid-19 was manufactured in America as an effrort to hurt the Chinese economy"
And the author states that it's just a rumour and we don't know if it's true. What's the point of posting such a rumour other than to gain traffic?
Now imagine this happening over and over again. There's a thing called quality control.
I've been watching the old style cartoon Marvel Comics Spiderman or New Spiderman where he becomes the spider beast used to be on Fox Kids.
Anyway I hope for a Spider slayer boss
Thanks for this.
"...Exposed As Fake As Media Is Fooled"
Is anyone really surprised? An increasing amount of games "journalists" these days are little more than hacktivists, more interested in pushing agendas than doing any actual fact-checking or investigating. They'll see something posted in a comment, on Reddit, or on a forum, and run with it without a care in the world, because page visits and ad revenue are more important.
@naruball This is an area of interest for psychologists - particularly at the moment. "The more often we see something in our news feed, the more likely we are to think that it’s true – even if we were originally sceptical" - https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200406-why-smart-people-believe-coronavirus-myths
@NeoTokyo404 Excellent point. Thanks for this! Always nice to see a simple observation we make be backed by a study.
@Paranoimia exactly. Video game sites keep losing credibility but at the of the day they don't really care as long as they make more profit.
@naruball I must admit, I am starting to fear for PushSquare as well, given the number of 'articles' with zero information which have been appearing over recent months... such as that "PSN Discount Codes" one which appeared the other day with no actual codes.
Okay, that's not pushing an agenda, but it is more than a little exploitative and clickbait-y, and not a million miles away from rage-bait style headlines which numerous other once-great sites have descended to. I have noticed that that particular article has been removed though, so credit to them for that... but it really shouldn't have appeared in the first place until there was something to actually put in it. I get that there are bills and salaries to pay, but that's not the way to do it, and is disrespectful to their readership. It's certainly not a way to encourage the disabling of ad blockers.
Anyway, I'll leave it there... don't want to derail comments from the article topic.
@NeoTokyo404
Good article there, thanks for sharing.
@naruball I for one find these rumours about gaming kinda fun...but that's just me. Also they might turn out to be true
@Paranoimia Very well said. I agree with everything. Bills need to be paid, but you have to see long-term if such click-bait articles are worth it.
@AFCC Yup. Fair enough.
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