That was the message at a presentation Thursday night after Paul Losch, a UF head librarian, discussed letters that tied fake news, the Gainesville Sun and the Cuban War of Independence together.
The letters, published in 1895, described the bloodshed of the war in Cuba from the perspective of a soldier — who was actually a resident living in Gainesville. The 10 letters, written by a waiter, Frank Hann, chronicled made-up people and events related to the war in Cuba. After failed attempts at publication in New Jersey, Hann successfully got the letters published in the Gainesville Sun, where they received widespread attention and foreign criticism until national publications realized the letters were fake.
“It was kind of like serial fiction,” Losch said.
Losch, who works as the head librarian of the Latin American and Caribbean Collection at Smathers Libraries, decided to give the presentation after stumbling upon a few articles about the saga. It took him two years to compile all the research.
In his presentation, Losch spoke about the growing public attention that Hann’s letters were quickly receiving and foreign reactions about the tales.
“All of this illustrates how information — good or misinformation — can travel,” he said.
Amber Martinez, a 20-year-old UF finance sophomore, said she was surprised at how long Hann was able to get away with publishing such absurd stories.
She said she believes fake news completely undermines the purpose of journalism.
“I mean, the fact that this lasted three whole months is just a testament to people’s disposition to believe everything the media says,” Martinez said.
