https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rewind-infamous-news-stories--7337199
Episodes are produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review. A Talking Labs production.]]>enNews© Talking Labshttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/d8dda4a87268ea2995bc49668ad6a9cf.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rewind-infamous-news-stories--7337199Mon, 02 Nov 2026 20:43:58 +0000Talking LabsTalking Labsfeeds@spreaker.comInfamous news events, hoaxes, and media frenzies revisited — one per day, with the benefit of hindsight. Walt narrates. Episodes are produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review. A Talking Labs production.
Episodes are produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review. A Talking Labs production.]]>false584acd7a-9462-58ef-93bf-c68549ea31edtrueepisodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-sokal-hoax-a-paper-built-to-fool-its-editors--76142584
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/76142584Mon, 02 Nov 2026 20:42:35 +0000trueTalking LabsIn 1996, physicist Alan Sokal published a parody about quantum gravity in Social Text, then revealed the hoax in Lingua Franca. Rewind traces the paper, the editors' response and the debate over what one editorial failure can prove. This episode was...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>287history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse39fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bathtub-hoax-mencken-s-fake-history-that-stuck--76119153
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/76119153Sun, 01 Nov 2026 20:48:03 +0000trueTalking LabsH. L. Mencken invented a history of the American bathtub in 1917, then publicly admitted the hoax in 1926. Rewind traces the false Millard Fillmore claim from the original newspaper article to later retellings, and checks it against the White House...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>290history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse38fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wrong-way-corrigan-the-flight-to-ireland--76101703
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/76101703Sat, 31 Oct 2026 20:40:30 +0000trueTalking LabsIn July 1938, Douglas Corrigan filed a westbound plan from New York and landed in Dublin. He said cloud and compass trouble sent him the wrong way, an account he kept even as skeptics doubted it. Rewind follows the documented flight, the brief licence...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>300history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse37fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-morning-of-j-accuse-zola-and-the-dreyfus-affair--76009354
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/76009354Mon, 26 Oct 2026 20:49:02 +0000trueTalking LabsOn 13 January 1898, Émile Zola put an accusation across the front page of L'Aurore. The paper sold more than 200,000 copies, but Alfred Dreyfus was still a prisoner. This is the morning that forced the case back into public view, and the long gap...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>295history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse36fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-zinoviev-letter-a-forgery-before-britain-s-1924-election--75981685
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75981685Sun, 25 Oct 2026 20:36:48 +0000trueTalking LabsFour days before Britain's 1924 general election, the Daily Mail printed a supposed letter from Soviet leader Grigory Zinoviev. He denied writing it the next day. Archive records now identify it as a forgery, though its precise effect on the vote...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>290history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse35fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-xyz-affair-when-the-dispatches-went-public--75864372
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75864372Mon, 19 Oct 2026 21:02:30 +0000trueTalking LabsIn 1798, President John Adams released US envoys' letters from France after opponents demanded the record. The names inside were masked as W, X, Y and Z, but the reported demands were clear. Rewind follows the disclosure, its printing in newspapers...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>288history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse34fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-1904-olympic-marathon-the-runner-in-the-car-rewind--75850650
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75850650Sun, 18 Oct 2026 20:45:46 +0000trueTalking LabsFred Lorz reached the St. Louis stadium first after riding part of the marathon course in a car. Thomas Hicks received the victory, but the treatment he was given during the race raises another question about the event. Rewind follows the record...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>264history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse33fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-hindenburg-broadcast-in-context-rewind--75840358
Sources: National Archives, “Eyewitness: Herb Morrison, Hindenburg Disaster, 1937”; Library of Congress National Recording Preservation Board, “Crash of the Hindenburg”; Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, “What Really Felled the Hindenburg?” No archival recording is used.

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75840358Sat, 17 Oct 2026 20:52:38 +0000trueTalking LabsHerbert Morrison's Hindenburg report sounds like a live radio broadcast. It was recorded at Lakehurst on May 6, 1937, and first aired the next day. This episode follows the reporter, the engineer who kept the disc running, and the gap between what a...
Sources: National Archives, “Eyewitness: Herb Morrison, Hindenburg Disaster, 1937”; Library of Congress National Recording Preservation Board, “Crash of the Hindenburg”; Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, “What Really Felled the Hindenburg?” No archival recording is used.

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>2981937,herbert morrison,hindenburg,history,hoaxes,journalism,lakehurst,media history,misinformation,news retrospective,radio historyfalse32fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ford-edsel-launch-day-what-the-failure-story-leaves-out--75830645
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75830645Fri, 16 Oct 2026 20:54:52 +0000trueTalking LabsFord introduced the 1958 Edsel to the public on 4 September 1957 after a covered-car advertising campaign. The model range and unfamiliar styling were real; so were weak sales and a recession that began in 1957. Rewind follows the record from the...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>294history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse31fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/new-coke-s-79-days-what-actually-ended-in-1985--75825019
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75825019Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:15:45 +0000trueTalking LabsNew Coke's famous 79 days ended with the return of the original formula as Coca-Cola Classic. The reformulated drink stayed on sale beside it. Rewind traces the April launch, the backlash and the July reversal, using Coca-Cola's own records and...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>312history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse30fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-1982-tylenol-recall-and-the-safety-seal--75794362
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75794362Wed, 14 Oct 2026 20:57:41 +0000trueTalking LabsSeven Chicago-area residents died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules in 1982. Johnson & Johnson withdrew its capsules nationwide, while investigators pursued the killings and the FDA wrote new tamper-resistant packaging rules. This Rewind...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>343history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse29fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-pentagon-papers-weekend--75767265
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75767265Tue, 13 Oct 2026 20:57:35 +0000trueTalking LabsThe New York Times began publishing the Pentagon Papers in June 1971. Days later, the Washington Post joined the fight, racing a Friday press deadline while government lawyers sought to halt publication. Rewind follows the two newspapers through the...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>321history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse28fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-night-the-fbi-s-files-left-the-office--75734197
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75734197Mon, 12 Oct 2026 20:58:55 +0000trueTalking LabsIn 1971, activists broke into an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, and sent its files to journalists. Those pages exposed domestic political surveillance. A COINTELPRO label then led reporter Carl Stern toward the wider program. Rewind traces the...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>282history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse27fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/kennedy-vs-nixon-did-radio-and-tv-audiences-really-disagree--75570802
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75570802Sun, 04 Oct 2026 20:57:23 +0000trueTalking LabsThe first Kennedy-Nixon debate in 1960 became a television landmark. Rewind examines the familiar claim that radio listeners picked Nixon while TV viewers picked Kennedy, and asks what the surviving polls can actually establish. The episode uses the...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>311history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse26fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/nixon-s-checkers-speech-the-dog-and-the-fund--75553797
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75553797Sat, 03 Oct 2026 20:57:56 +0000trueTalking LabsIn 1952, allegations about Richard Nixon's political expense fund threatened his place on Eisenhower's ticket. Nixon answered on national television, and a family dog gave the broadcast its lasting name. A Rewind episode drawn from Nixon Library and...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>298history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse25fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/cleveland-balloonfest-1986-the-celebration-and-the-fallout--75533651
Sources: Case Western Reserve University's Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (https://case.edu/ech/articles/b/balloonfest) and Cleveland Magazine's oral history (https://www.clevelandmagazine.com/articles/balloonfest-86-an-oral-history-of-clevelands-record-setting-balloon-release/), checked 3 October 2026.

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75533651Fri, 02 Oct 2026 21:56:42 +0000trueTalking LabsIn 1986, Cleveland's United Way released nearly 1.5 million balloons over Public Square. Wind and rain brought many down across the area and Lake Erie. This Rewind episode follows the preparation, the astonishing launch and the disputed aftermath,...
Sources: Case Western Reserve University's Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (https://case.edu/ech/articles/b/balloonfest) and Cleveland Magazine's oral history (https://www.clevelandmagazine.com/articles/balloonfest-86-an-oral-history-of-clevelands-record-setting-balloon-release/), checked 3 October 2026.

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>290history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse24fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-great-stork-derby-toronto-s-ten-year-baby-contest--75503296
Sources checked 2 October 2026:
Supreme Court of Canada: https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/csc-scc/JU1-1-1938-eng.pdf
Courthouse Libraries BC: https://www.courthouselibrary.ca/how-we-can-help/our-legal-knowledge-base/stork-derby-case
Museum of Toronto: https://museumoftoronto.com/digital-content/tydk_birthplace-of-pregnancy-racing/
TIME, June 1938: https://time.com/archive/6892813/canada-money-for-mothers/

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75503296Thu, 01 Oct 2026 22:03:53 +0000trueTalking LabsCharles Vance Millar's will promised his estate to the Toronto mother with the most qualifying births in the decade after his death. The Depression turned that clause into a public spectacle. We follow the press attention, the legal fight and the four...
Sources checked 2 October 2026:
Supreme Court of Canada: https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/csc-scc/JU1-1-1938-eng.pdf
Courthouse Libraries BC: https://www.courthouselibrary.ca/how-we-can-help/our-legal-knowledge-base/stork-derby-case
Museum of Toronto: https://museumoftoronto.com/digital-content/tydk_birthplace-of-pregnancy-racing/
TIME, June 1938: https://time.com/archive/6892813/canada-money-for-mothers/

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>296history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse23fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-hollow-earth-expedition-s-subscription-sheet--75466642
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75466642Wed, 30 Sep 2026 21:58:58 +0000trueTalking LabsIn 1822, John Cleves Symmes invited loans and subscriptions for a journey to seek backing for a polar expedition. A newspaper clipping said the subscription sheet would be left at a Cincinnati hotel bar. This Rewind episode follows what that notice...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>296history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse22fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-taco-liberty-bell-the-1996-hoax-that-reached-the-park-service--75443384https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1996/04/02/a-joke-that-rang-true/748a6749-53d7-4952-ba23-e3a5f8daceca/ ; https://storycorps.org/stories/taco-liberty-bell/ ; https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/teachers/lessonplans/Liberty-Bell-timeline%20activity%20middle%20school.pdf .

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75443384Tue, 29 Sep 2026 22:04:48 +0000trueTalking LabsOn April Fools' Day 1996, Taco Bell bought newspaper ads claiming it had purchased the Liberty Bell. Park Service staff fielded calls while the company later revealed the prank. Rewind follows contemporary reporting and rangers' recollections to...https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1996/04/02/a-joke-that-rang-true/748a6749-53d7-4952-ba23-e3a5f8daceca/ ; https://storycorps.org/stories/taco-liberty-bell/ ; https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/teachers/lessonplans/Liberty-Bell-timeline%20activity%20middle%20school.pdf .

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>303history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse21fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/sidd-finch-the-168-mph-pitcher-who-never-existed--75418648https://www.si.com/mlb/2014/10/15/curious-case-sidd-finch ; SI retrospective https://www.si.com/mlb/2014/10/21/si-60-curious-case-sidd-finch-mark-mulvoy-myra-gelband ; MLB Berton interview https://www.mlb.com/news/sidd-finch-hoax-recalled-at-sabr-convention/c-133074166 .

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75418648Mon, 28 Sep 2026 22:02:29 +0000trueTalking LabsIn 1985, Sports Illustrated introduced a supposed Mets pitcher with a 168-mph fastball. George Plimpton wrote the profile, Joe Berton posed for its photographs, and the club helped stage the April Fools' act. Rewind follows how the fiction was...https://www.si.com/mlb/2014/10/15/curious-case-sidd-finch ; SI retrospective https://www.si.com/mlb/2014/10/21/si-60-curious-case-sidd-finch-mark-mulvoy-myra-gelband ; MLB Berton interview https://www.mlb.com/news/sidd-finch-hoax-recalled-at-sabr-convention/c-133074166 .

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>292history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse20fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/alien-autopsy-the-film-that-fooled-television--75402128
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75402128Sun, 27 Sep 2026 21:59:28 +0000trueTalking LabsIn 1995, Fox aired a purported Roswell alien autopsy film before its alleged source had been independently examined. Years later, its promoter acknowledged the broadcast footage was staged. Rewind follows the evidence, the effects maker's account, and...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>324history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse19fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-loch-ness-surgeon-s-photo-and-the-1994-hoax-account--75386233
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75386233Sat, 26 Sep 2026 21:50:13 +0000trueTalking LabsThe 1934 “surgeon's photograph” became the defining image of the Loch Ness Monster. In 1994, Alastair Boyd and David Martin publicised a toy-submarine hoax account. This episode follows the crop, the old newspaper lead and the objections PBS NOVA...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>305history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse18fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-berners-street-hoax-london-s-busiest-doorway--75366523
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75366523Sat, 26 Sep 2026 00:08:30 +0000trueTalking LabsIn 1810, forged requests sent coal wagons, a piano, an undertaker and even the Lord Mayor to one London address. Mrs Tottenham had invited none of them. Rewind follows the Berners Street Hoax through contemporary reports and separates Theodore Hook's...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>279history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse17fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-paul-is-dead-spread-in-1969--75323064
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75323064Wed, 23 Sep 2026 21:53:52 +0000trueTalking LabsIn 1969, a false rumour about Paul McCartney moved from radio talk to a Michigan Daily article and into people's readings of Beatles records and cover art. Rewind traces the hoax, why its clues felt persuasive, and how McCartney later joked about it...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>290history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse16fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-millennium-bug-spending-spree--75305618
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75305618Tue, 22 Sep 2026 22:10:54 +0000trueTalking LabsThe year 2000 rollover was quiet. The work before it was not. Rewind follows the U.S. federal Y2K repair bill, what budget estimates and emergency funds actually measured, and why a normal morning cannot prove the money was wasted. Next: how the Paul...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>333history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse15fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-y2k-night-that-wasn-t--75287162
Sources checked 22 September 2026: U.S. Government Accountability Office rollover review https://www.gao.gov/products/t-aimd-00-70 ; GAO examples and lessons https://www.gao.gov/assets/aimd-00-290.pdf ; National Archives' contemporary explanation https://www.archives.gov/publications/record/1998/03/nara-and-y2k.html .

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75287162Mon, 21 Sep 2026 21:59:58 +0000trueTalking LabsThe Y2K night passed without the national collapse many feared. That quiet result followed years of date-code repairs, testing and backup planning. Rewind traces the millennium bug from two-digit years through the rollover, including the smaller...
Sources checked 22 September 2026: U.S. Government Accountability Office rollover review https://www.gao.gov/products/t-aimd-00-70 ; GAO examples and lessons https://www.gao.gov/assets/aimd-00-290.pdf ; National Archives' contemporary explanation https://www.archives.gov/publications/record/1998/03/nara-and-y2k.html .

This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>329history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse14fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-runaway-bride-media-cycle--75268337
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75268337Sun, 20 Sep 2026 22:37:21 +0000trueTalking LabsThe 2005 Jennifer Wilbanks disappearance, the false kidnapping account, the legal consequences and the television spectacle built around it. This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>302history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse13fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-cardiff-giant-the-hoax-dug-up-on-a-farm--75244391
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75244391Sat, 19 Sep 2026 22:33:11 +0000trueTalking LabsThe Cardiff Giant was a ten-foot gypsum figure planted beneath a New York farm and 'discovered' in 1869. This episode follows George Hull's hoax, the paying crowds and P. T. Barnum's fake of the fake. This episode was produced with AI narration and...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>288history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse12fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/piltdown-man-the-fossil-forgery--75233387
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75233387Sat, 19 Sep 2026 11:01:24 +0000trueTalking LabsFor decades, Piltdown Man was treated as a missing link in human evolution. The fossil was a forgery, and the clues were sitting in plain sight. This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>287history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse11fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-great-moon-hoax-of-1835--75233153
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75233153Sat, 19 Sep 2026 10:22:25 +0000trueTalking LabsHow the New York Sun filled the Moon with bat-people, temples, and unicorn-like animals—and why thousands of readers wanted the story to be true. This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>321history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse10fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-great-moon-hoax-of-1835--75233149
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75233149Sat, 19 Sep 2026 10:21:55 +0000trueTalking LabsIn August 1835, the New York Sun reported lunar forests, bison and winged humanoids supposedly seen through John Herschel's telescope. Follow the newspaper serial, its commercial logic and the moment the Great Moon Hoax became a model for mass-media...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>321history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse9fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bbc-spaghetti-harvest-hoax-of-1957--75175235
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75175235Wed, 16 Sep 2026 22:38:56 +0000trueTalking LabsOn April Fools' Day 1957, BBC Panorama showed Swiss families harvesting spaghetti from trees. Here is how a calm voice, convincing film and one invented pest made the joke work. This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.

This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>280history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse8fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/orson-welles-and-the-frozen-peas-outtakes--75155411
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75155411Tue, 15 Sep 2026 22:37:28 +0000Talking LabsA commercial voice session becomes a legendary argument about peas, copy and who gets to direct a single line. This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>268advertising,history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospective,orson welles,recordingfalse6fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/orson-welles-and-the-frozen-peas-outtakes--75155386
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75155386Tue, 15 Sep 2026 22:36:11 +0000Talking LabsA commercial voice session becomes a legendary argument about peas, copy and who gets to direct a single line. This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>268advertising,history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospective,orson welles,recordingfalse6fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-cottingley-fairies-how-paper-cut-outs-fooled-conan-doyle--75144192
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75144192Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:41:49 +0000Talking LabsTwo cousins photographed paper fairies in a Yorkshire garden and watched adults turn the pictures into evidence. The Cottingley Fairies story follows Elsie Wright, Frances Griffiths, Arthur Conan Doyle and the difference between an authentic...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>287history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospectivefalse5fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dewey-defeats-truman-the-headline-that-lost--75106902
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75106902Sun, 13 Sep 2026 20:36:30 +0000Talking LabsThe Chicago Daily Tribune called the 1948 presidential election while voters were still casting ballots. This episode traces the polls, the whistle-stop campaign, the printers' strike, the early edition, and Harry Truman's perfectly timed photograph...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>3481948 election,dewey defeats truman,harry truman,history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,misinformation,news retrospective,thomas deweyfalse4fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-hitler-diaries-1983--75097100
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75097100Sun, 13 Sep 2026 02:08:27 +0000Talking LabsIn April 1983 the German magazine Stern published sixty volumes of what it said were Adolf Hitler's private diaries, bought for 9.3 million Deutsche Marks and authenticated by a distinguished British historian who retracted within days. Konrad Kujau...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>2521983,forgery,gerd heidemann,history,hitler diaries,hoaxes,journalism,journalism scandal,konrad kujau,media history,media hoax,misinformation,news retrospective,stern magazinefalse3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/balloon-boy-2009--75081688
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75081688Sat, 12 Sep 2026 01:15:38 +0000Talking LabsOn 15 October 2009 a homemade silver saucer drifted across Colorado on live television while the country believed a six-year-old was folded inside it. Helicopters went up, the National Guard was called, flights out of Denver were held — and when it...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>2262009,balloon boy,colorado,falcon heene,history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,media hoax,misinformation,news history,news retrospectivefalsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-war-of-the-worlds-panic-that-mostly-wasn-t-1938--75079572
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75079572Fri, 11 Sep 2026 22:56:30 +0000Talking LabsOrson Welles's Martian invasion broadcast supposedly sent America into mass panic on Halloween eve 1938. The ratings say almost nobody was listening — most of the country was tuned to a variety show on a rival network. The panic arrived the next...
This episode was produced with AI narration and scripting, with human editorial review.]]>230halloween broadcast,history,hoaxes,journalism,media history,media myth,mercury theatre,misinformation,moral panic,news retrospective,orson welles,radio history,war of the worlds 1938falsefull