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What are the consequences of calling everything "fake news"?
To answer the original question, whether by accident or by design, it delegitimizes the real problem.
This thread is full of "examples" of fake news that are not at all fake news, but rather opinions that someone doesn't agree with so they call it fake news.
The true problem with fake news is the actual creation of 100% fake "news" stories by entirely illegitimate sources that then gain viral status within filter bubbles on Facebook and other social media networks.
Example: The FBI agent investigating Clinton's email server found dead, written and shared by the Denver Guardian. This is a story that was shared on Facebook hundreds of thousands of times, and it is 100% fake. It's not spin, it's not an opinion, it's not shoddy reporting... there wasn't a single solitary correct fact in the entire story. Yet it was taken as fact by hundreds of thousands of people (many right here in this forum).
Conversely, the MSM talking heads opining that Trump had no path to 270 is not fake news. That's an opinion and an incorrect prediction, but it's no more fake than a panel of retired football players picking games on a Sunday morning talk show. Does it influence things? Possibly. But no more than the opinions of other pundits on the radio or internet. It could easily be interpreted to have made Clinton voters complacent, and lit a fire under Trump voters. But regardless of your assessment of that, it's not fake news.
Fake news is a real problem. Even now there are hundreds of thousands of people that think Clinton killed that FBI agent and is running a pedophilia ring, and that the Pope endorsed Trump. And these stories were shared hundreds of thousands of times as real news in the days leading up to the election. Both Facebook and the originators of such junk made a killing off ads, and Facebook's algorithms made sure similar sensationalist fabrications bubbled up to people's timelines, perpetuating the problem.
It a huge, huge, pivot for the whole world, but particularly for America where we've come to depend on credible journalism. It is an unintended consequence of releasing technologies without truly understanding their potential for destruction. Anyone in the world can create fake news, and there are plenty of people that do not wish to discern the difference. I'd go further and suggest that some of this fake news is actual sabotage, a cyber-warfare tactic by enemies of the USA. If they can successfully undermine the validity of journalism they can bring down the whole system. It's not much of an exaggeration to quote Orwell at a time like this; his prophecy was that one day we would all come to realize that "war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength".
I'd go further and suggest that some of this fake news is actual sabotage, a cyber-warfare tactic by enemies of the USA. If they can successfully undermine the validity of journalism they can bring down the whole system. It's not much of an exaggeration to quote Orwell at a time like this; his prophecy was that one day we would all come to realize that "war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength".
So the Russians are now undermining the validity of journalism as well as the validity of the election?
I'd go so far as to suggest that many of the people throwing everything they can and hoping something sticks are well aware that the goal is to undermine the results of a lawful presidential election, thus making them the real enemies of the United States.
I have a fantasy. Imagine that, except in the case of an emergency of a grand scale, like a war, or 9-11, news was limited to 30 minutes, or less, a day. Kind of like it was in the early days of TV.
I have a feeling that what we would hear would be everyone's best effort at giving the most important news of the day without filler, fluff and speculation.
Instead, what we have is a need to fill 24/7 with blah blah blah. If there is only 15-30 minutes a day of actual news, what does that say about the other 23.5 hours?
If calling something you don't want investigated fake can work for the MSM and the feds, then anybody can do the same. Now we just have to shut down the CIA and NASA for pushing fake news about Russia and global warming.
Of course there is fake news. A couple of examples from the traditional media include the stories on the Ferguson "Hands up, don't shoot" meme and the 'Donald Trump has no path to 270' meme.
Using the Trump can't win is a confirmation bias. The issue is people either didn't want to poll or polled falsely. That said, Clinton still won the popular vote by a decent margin so it was the states that were off, not the national poll.
I have a fantasy. Imagine that, except in the case of an emergency of a grand scale, like a war, or 9-11, news was limited to 30 minutes, or less, a day. Kind of like it was in the early days of TV.
I have a feeling that what we would hear would be everyone's best effort at giving the most important news of the day without filler, fluff and speculation.
Instead, what we have is a need to fill 24/7 with blah blah blah. If there is only 15-30 minutes a day of actual news, what does that say about the other 23.5 hours?
Even without the talking heads, you cannot fit news into 30 minutes whether local or national. You just can't without leaving something out. This is a naïve fantasy you have. What I can agree on is how we spend too much time on news. I say an hour on national and two on local due to traffic, weather and sports are more than enough.
Even without the talking heads, you cannot fit news into 30 minutes whether local or national. You just can't without leaving something out. This is a naïve fantasy you have. What I can agree on is how we spend too much time on news. I say an hour on national and two on local due to traffic, weather and sports are more than enough.
Ok, I'll give you that. I don't care about the weather or sports, but I get that some folks do.
Unfortunately, you are correct. We seem to be more divided than ever, and no, I don't think it's all Obama's fault.
Truth is, we have always been like this. Divisions have run deep for over 100 years. We fought a war because of those divisions.
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