

Born to Fake
In 1996, one of the biggest media scandals in German history shook the public: Michael Born, a self-made journalist, had faked over twenty reports for the newly established private television station between 1990 and 1996. Some seemed amateurish, others dealt with absurd topics: child labor for IKEA in India, drug addicts licking toads to get high, and the Ku Klux Klan in the Eifel region were just some of his numerous fabrications. How did it come to this? Was Michael Born an enlightened figure who subversively exposed the tabloid system, a victim of the system, or simply a bumbling fraud? Film traces Michael Born's footsteps. Put together from hundreds of hours of raw material and the memories of former companions, an incredible story of forgery emerges. A media-theoretical film about levels of reality, fake news, and the question: Why do we actually believe what we see?
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- —
- Box office
- —
- Language
- German
- journalism
- skandalpresse
- scandal
- fake news
- dokumentation
- dokumentarfilm
- michael born
Top billed cast
Behind the camera
Director
Produced in
Germany
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Release dates
GermanyDE
- PremiereFilmfest München27 Jun 2025
- Theatrical1228 May 2026
UkraineUA
- PremiereDocudays UA International Documentary Human Rights Film Festival5 Jun 2026
Frequently asked questions
Born to Fake was released on 28 May 2026.
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