On September 1, 1923, an earthquake struck Japan. 140K people died. Everything collapsed as usual. Radio was already there, but television and fast airplanes with a large fuel tank were still invented. People were weary of wanting to look at the disaster and gossip about the tragedy. of course, while convincing themselves that they are doing this solely out of compassion for their neighbor (Japanese neighbor) and in the name of the common good.
Fortunately, then there was already a proto-fax, so it was still possible to transmit some images over a distance, so everyone saw an approximate view of the event. But the rare fuzzy pictures only whetted the appetite. People wanted more.
Capitalism is why it is a religion of money to quickly adapt to the Japanese earthquakes. To satisfy the human hunger of curiosity and anxiety about the neighbor (Japanese neighbor), the Bray Studios film company made a model of the Japanese city and safely destroyed it with improvised means such as sulfur and saltpeter, throwing them into the fire.
After that, this "chronicle" successfully went on Broadway for 10 days, until the import from Japan arrived.
By itself, this case is not interesting, in general, because it was not something unique. Such artificial chronicles were quite common at a time when it was impossible to get an instant moving picture.
Your opinion is interesting, but I personally draw a couple of conclusions based on this story. I don't even do it, but reinforce the fears that have arisen before.
1. Fake news, backed by fake pictures with visual effects, began to be used immediately after the invention of cinema. And at the highest level for that time.
2. Photo and video chronicles of the era before the invention of digital effects, which is subconsciously perceived as reliable, is losing more and more weight.
3. All these fires, with the destruction 10 times in 10 years of any American cities such as San Francisco, and then defending them again in the same volume in three or four years, without visible efforts, and also without visible production facilities and working hands, now have another explanation.
Instead of a general summary, I want to ask one question, why would it take more than 10 days to get from Japan to the USA in 1923? On foot, or what?