Merged Fake news is a threat to democracy

[zorro99]

Fixation on Fake News Overshadows Waning Trust in Real Reporting

By JOHN HERRMANNOV. 18, 2016

Something is deeply wrong when the pope’s voice, reputation and influence can be borrowed by a source that describes itself as “a fantasy news site” to claim that he has endorsed a presidential candidate, and then be amplified, unchallenged, through a million individual shares.

The attention paid to fake news since the election has focused largely on fabrications and outright lies, because they are indefensible, easy to identify and extraordinarily viral. Fake news is created by the kinds of people who, when asked, might call their work satire, or admit that they’re in it for the money or for the thrill of deception. Theirs is a behavior that can and should be shunned, and that Facebook is equipped, and maybe willing, to deal with.

Edited by Locknar: 

SNIPed, breach of rule 4.

The overarching claims of the story were disingenuous and horrifying; the facts it included had been removed from all useful context and placed in a new, sinister one; its insinuating mention of “Muslim martyrs,” in proximity to mentions of Mr. Khan’s son, and its misleading and strategic mention of Shariah law, amounted to a repulsive smear. It was a story that appealed to bigoted ideas and that would clearly appeal to those who held them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/19/b...reporting.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=1

Fake news is a threat to democracy. Ignorant citizens cannot function.

 

[zorro99]

The term "fake news" is too polite. It should be replaced with "lies."

 

[Stacko]

The term "fake news" is too polite. It should be replaced with "lies."

Fake news or lies is reporting, "Tiffany adopts alien baby to get father's attention." This is propaganda masquerading as fake news.

 

[The Big Dog]

Curious that part of the article regarding the fact wikileaks revealed the extent of the fake news ginned up by the Clinton campaign and spoon fed to its subservient media was not mentioned.

Curious.

 

[varwoche]

Curious that part of the article regarding the fact wikileaks revealed the extent of the fake news ginned up by the Clinton campaign and spoon fed to its subservient media was not mentioned.

Curious.

Its always good to have a subject matter expert at hand.

 

[LSSBB]

Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?

 

[marplots]

Fake news is a threat to democracy. Ignorant citizens cannot function.

Disagree. This is the point of representative democracy rather than direct democracy. All news of value to me is local. The rest is merely entertainment.

Does it matter one whit to me whether Bill Cosby is alive or dead; whether Aleppo has fallen; whether Ivanka Trump is a man, or whether Barack Obama is a secret Muslim? No, no it does not.

Are killer clowns really stalking our children in North Carolina's woods? Of course they are - unless they're not.

What's for lunch?

 

[The Big Dog]

Its always good to have a subject matter expert at hand.

Thanks man, I have been been pointing out fake news sites like Media Matters and Think Progress for YEARS Nice that my fine efforts have been been successful.

 

[marplots]

Thanks man, I have been been pointing out fake news sites like Media Matters and Think Progress for YEARS Nice that my fine efforts have been been successful.

You mean you weren't trying to fake us out all those years? Gee, I wish you had told me it wasn't just a gag.

 

[Minoosh]

Some lady came on the line on a talk-news radio show (conservative). The host has been ridiculing campus protests against the election of Trump. The woman told him that a boy in an ambulance had died because the road was blocked by protesters. The host was honest enough to say - wait a minute, where are your reading this? She said, "It's right there on Facebook." He asked, "What is the date on it?" She had no idea, but then said it was related to Black Lives Matter and it happened in July.

He politely thanked her and the call ended. Now, I don't know if that was a real news story in July; maybe, maybe not. She bought it all, related it to election protesters and had failed to even look at the date.

A proliferation of fake news sites might help people learn to sort out reliable vs. unreliable "reporting." I don't see it as a partisan issue but a critical-thinking issue. Huffington Post put Hillary's chance of winning at 98 percent, which may have affected the election. People are seeing what they want to see. It's a good idea to look at more than one news source and always be aware that even trusted outlets aren't 100 percent reliable.

 

[Cain]

I've been waiting for this thread. The Washington Post recently had an interview with a man who makes up fake viral news stories, though his uber-lame excuse is that he's engaging in "satire." He said...

Honestly, people are definitely dumber. They just keep passing stuff around. Nobody fact-checks anything anymore — I mean, that’s how Trump got elected. He just said whatever he wanted, and people believed everything, and when the things he said turned out not to be true, people didn’t care because they’d already accepted it. It’s real scary. I’ve never seen anything like it....

My sites were picked up by Trump supporters all the time. I think Trump is in the White House because of me. His followers don’t fact-check anything — they’ll post everything, believe anything. His campaign manager posted my story about a protester getting paid $3,500 as fact. Like, I made that up. I posted a fake ad on Craigslist.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ld-trump-is-in-the-white-house-because-of-me/

I saw a story -- probably a fabricated mainstream media lie -- about Macedonians writing anti-Clinton stories. Is it because Macedonians favor Trump? No, it's because Trump supporters will click on anything.

After the election, I had a pro-Trump supporter happy as a clam. He knew he could "never" vote for Clinton because he was one of the few people who "actually read the e-mails," which were "disgusting." I asked him to summarize a damning letter, and he went into great detail, impressively paraphrasing by memory. He recited names I did not recognize about a party I had never heard of. It all seemed innocuous enough but he explained that a line about how a "hot tub" would be "heated" meant they were going to molest children. Or something. Democrats apparently talk in elaborate code. After a little more probing, I found out this was one of Podesta's recent e-mails (so it had nothing to do with Clinton's private server). And I'm so sure this C-student was just one night trudging through primary sources rather than stumbling across some deplorable dog-**** "article" spinning its own demented, drug-addled interpretation.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

I saw a fair number of fake news stories and fake quotes from the left as well this election cycle.

This one was quite popular - and fake:

 

[marplots]

So easy to spot in others, so difficult to see in ourselves.

This is the backside of "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" - things that confirm my bias, that seem ordinary and expected, require little if any evidence at all.

 

[Cain]

I saw a fair number of fake news stories and fake quotes from the left as well this election cycle.

This one was quite popular - and fake:

[qimg]https://a1skeptic.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/trump_quote.jpg?w=640[/qimg]

I also had a student claim Trump said that. I expressed skepticism, but others backed her up. That night I looked it up on Snopes, and told them at the next class meet that it was a lie. There was still a holdout who said she saw a video clip (couldn't even remember she had encountered it as a meme). I offered extra-credit to anyone who could produce the clip. The offer still stands.

 

[angrysoba]

Fake news or lies is reporting, "Tiffany adopts alien baby to get father's attention." This is propaganda masquerading as fake news.

Not necessarily. There are "fake news" outlets that simply use programmes that generate fake news headlines tailored according to whatever gets the biggest hits and shares and thereby brings in the biggest ad revenue. The motive is often financial rather than political.

 

[thaiboxerken]

I saw a fair number of fake news stories and fake quotes from the left as well this election cycle.

This one was quite popular - and fake:

[qimg]https://a1skeptic.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/trump_quote.jpg?w=640[/qimg]

Yep, it was a fake quote. However, Trump did run his campaign based on the philosophy of the quote.

 

[sunmaster14]

Yep, it was a fake quote. However, Trump did run his campaign based on the philosophy of the quote.

LOL. Fake but accurate. Ring a bell? Like with the accusations of racism and white supremacy, the focus by liberals on fake news helping Trump is just garbage rationalization. Fake news is as old as human history. More recently, the New York Times perfected it, and The Daily Show actually made it funny (well, until Jon Stewart retired I guess). Even the Associated Press has been getting in on the act lately.

 

[thaiboxerken]

LOL. Fake but accurate.

I'm glad you agree.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

Anyone remember the scorn and ridicule that Sarah Palin got for the "I can see Russia" quote? Something she never said?

Bad enough that she really did say that the Pledge of Allegiance, complete with "under God", was good enough for the founding founders!

 

[applecorped]

LOL. Fake but accurate. Ring a bell? Like with the accusations of racism and white supremacy, the focus by liberals on fake news helping Trump is just garbage rationalization. Fake news is as old as human history. More recently, the New York Times perfected it, and The Daily Show actually made it funny (well, until Jon Stewart retired I guess). Even the Associated Press has been getting in on the act lately.

this



Let libs ponder why they lost.



Maybe it was a racism, no wait fake news, yes, that's the ticket