There’s a new program on the SyFy Channel called Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files. Here’s a description of the show from the SyFy web site:

“Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files revolutionizes paranormal programming by investigating the evidence witnesses post on the Internet every day. Have you ever seen a photo or video online and wondered, ‘Is this real?’ This is the show that will answer that question. “

Each week, the team of investigators examines “viral” videos they snagged off the Internet. Sparing no expense, they go to some really extreme measures to recreate whatever it is they see on the videos. But what does this prove, really? If you can recreate something you see on video tape, does that mean it never happened? I don’t think it does. In these days of Photoshop magic and special effects, virtually anything can be reproduced. For this reason, I think when you are trying to gather evidence of paranormal events, photography will always be your weakest link. It’s impossible to tell the difference between a photo or video that was faked from photographic evidence of a very real paranormal event.

Just because you can fake something, this doesn’t mean it is fake!

Of course, it could be, but not necessarily. This is the problem I see with debunking. If someone can find a way to explain away your evidence by demonstrating that it could have been faked, people automatically assume the original evidence must be fake. This just isn’t true.

I expect this show will fade away as fast as SyFy’s other like-minded show, Proof Positive Evidence of the Paranormal from 2004.  Any of these programs that attempt to explain away age-old mysteries in one short episode are doomed to fail. In the end, Proof Positive attempted to explain away everything by subjecting the witness to a lie detector test. I guess when it comes right down to it, this is the only thing we can question – the integrity of the witness. Real or faked? You have to take their word for it.