Focus: The Day the Newspapers Lied

I came across this story a few months ago and it just knocked me out: Two newspaper editors conspired to run a fake story in May 1864 about the Civil War not going so well and how Lincoln wanted to call up more troops. Then, they borrowed money and bought gold. When the story hit the streets, it caused a run on the banks. Gold prices shot up. These two a-holes made a ton of money. But -- as they say on the interwebz -- you won't believe what happened next. I loved the chapter approach I took with the narrative and especially the somewhat provocative headline. I kept expecting one of my bosses to demand I soften the tone of this piece, but it didn't happen. I didn't get any feedback on this page, but it's one of my favorites… so far. May 14, 2014

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