Chambat-Houillon,
Investigating the ambiguities of a media hoax
- 2017.
18
This article outlines the complex issues of a television hoax perpetrated by Rémi Gaillard, an online troublemaker, against the French TV channel TF1, examining its structure and demystifying its discourse. In addition to its dual media nature, the originality of this hoax lies in its corrective impact, exposing how TF1 falsifies reality in its programs. Throwing TF1 into discredit reflects the hoax’s quest for legitimacy: its author, an Internet activist, wanted to teach the broadcaster a lesson in sincerity and to shake up the established media hierarchy. Such was the intermedial impact of the hoax—but its ambiguities also weakened the purpose and foundation of the project.