[HOWTO] Stopping Fake News - Comments Page 2

I reall really wanted that FP Happy Hour playset! :-/

Fox News balanced???!!! That's the best laugh I've had all week!

Where did all these right wing internet trolls come from today, Bob? It's unusual to see so many idiotic comments on your site. But then again, these dudes seem to feel that Trump has given them license to show their black hearts. GuitarRebel is right about the next 4 years...

To the folks suggesting fake news and propaganda come mainly from the Left (@dmac and @evildoctor), I recommend you check out this scientifically-based spatial map of the fake news ecosystem. Jonathan Albright, assistant professor of communications at Elon University, North Carolina, “scraped” 300 fake news sites (the dark shapes on the map) to reveal the 1.3m hyperlinks that connect them together and link them into the mainstream news ecosystem. Albright shows it is a “vast satellite system of predominantly right wing news (everything red) and propaganda that has completely surrounded the mainstream media system”. The larger version of the map is embedded about half way down the article.

https://medium.com/@d1gi/the-election2016-micro-propaganda-machine-383449cc1fba#.uw349muz2

To Frank: the media that advocates conservative POV is like a puddle in the miasmic ocean of left wing biased media. Never mind who owns the media, paty attention what they report. Look how they report. They have supported the most reckless, seditious president in the history of the US. A POTUS who has diminished the US financially, militarily, constituionally and culturally. He has failed on every metric. The man should be in jail!!

@Karen RE:vast satellite system of predominantly right wing news (everything red) and propaganda that has completely surrounded the mainstream media system”

Of course, the vast right wing conspiracy as articulated by Crooked Crone Clinton! Surely this has been designed by little green right wing aliens. Thanks for the laugh of the day! Elon University? Has it got something to do with Tesla? Only kidding--I looked it up, evidently it does exist and a coveted degree from this acclaimed institution is highly valued somewhere where no one lives.

The credibility of all news sites are hurting, including both the left and right outlets. Even the weatherman sensationalizes the weather. I sure hope the govt does not take control of the press because of the growing credibility issue.

Many of the comments posted confirm my view that this article on conservative vs liberal points of view is quite true: http://ijr.com/2014/10/191709-nonpartisan-chart-reveals-whos-trusting-major-news-sources-liberals-conservatives/
There is no such thing as a totally unbiased news source. We're humans, not robots.Everyone has a right to choose the bias that suits them. However, it is important to know whether the source you choose is open about how they present their news. The Economist clearly states their POV, which is why it is one of the most 'trusted' global news sources. Others use their Editorial page to voice their POV on specific topics. Honesty is always the best policy.
Thanks for the tips, Bob, about how to spot some of the more underhand trolls purporting to "break the news." Be alert but not alarmed.

Bob - Thank you for boldly tackling the topic of fake news, and writing up such a sensible description of the what, where, why, and how behind the fake news explosion.

It's sad that something so basic is so political. I believe that much of it comes down to people confusing cynicism with critical thinking. I wish more of our population had grown up with teachers like Ms. Arnold.

I think maybe the mainstream media should be included in the fake news. How many times did they tell us Clinton was going to win?

dmac, You've obviously been heavily influenced fake news.

To evildoctor regarding his response to Karen and pertaining to his dis of Elon University and its investigation/report cited in her comment: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-
colleges/elon-university-2927

Stop ignorance from where ever it originates.

This is one reason why I enjoy "Mythbusters", mostly because of "youtube" for which some of those items are "staged".

The BS detector doesn't work on Firefox. My own BS detector works very well thank you. Well over 75% of the "real" news sites (NYT, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, ect..) are totally fake news and have been since 1960. When you have several different "experts" try to tell you what the "news" means, it is BS.
When the "news" is based on the results of polls, it is BS.
All the information first please, and keep your misinformed opinions to yourselves is my words to the lame main stream media. If only they would listen, but they won't.

Bob, it's not going to work. People want to believe these stories. The more outrageous, the more in line with their political views. Views have become that polarized in the US. With Pizzagate, where Hillary and her associations tortured children in the basement of pizza parlor, the reason is obvious: whatever she did with email at the State Deparment was not enough.

I am not so much disturbed by the obvious fake news sites. I am much more disturbed when mainline media says something that's an outright lie or is made into a lie. An then the next station merely repeats it. I'm also disturbed by the way they pick and choose stories that suit their narrative. So something legitimate happens and it's in local news, and the conservative people (tea party, etc) way over emphasize it and the mainstream never even mentions it. Generally it's somewhere in the middle. The media is also in the habit of just repeating what other sources say sometimes verbatim and often without any checking. Also just repeating news releases from the government with no thought or fact checking.

To really understand what's going on you have to investigate. Often I'll take the main couple of words from a headline and google it to find where the story is coming from and if it's legit or not. Be alert. Don't just post headlines. The truth is out there.

Mr. Rankin, I think you place too much faith in the Main Stream Media. They are some of the most frequent sources of "Fake News". The best example is CNN and their polls during the presidential campaign and their continual claims that Hillary was going to win by a landslide. Due diligence continually could discover the most trusted pollsters had more realistic numbers by 15 to 20 points in many cases. Their apparent dislike for Trump was misinforming their viewers. Good thing their audience is small.

NEWS FLASH: There's lots of garbage on the Internet!

Well, DUH.

That's called life. Our world is full of misinformation mixed in with valid information, and it's been that way long before the Internet came along. We each just have to sort it out as best we can, perhaps with the help of curating sites which we've learned to trust.

So I can't work up any great apprehension over the latest scaremongering about "fake news", which in many cases just represents an attack on web sites which promulgate a different political viewpoint.

I'm much more alarmed about attempts to suppress politically unpopular web sites by gatekeeper organizations such as Google and Facebook and Twitter. Technically it's not yet censorship (since only the government can forcibly censor), but it's uncomfortably similar, and it's certainly trying to move in the direction of government involvement.

The First Amendment is greatest bulwark of a free society, and attempts to block speech which is disagreeable or politically incorrect or promotes unpopular political viewpoints will only erode that bulwark, to our society's ultimate detriment.

People sometimes get upset when I uncover a hoax or fake news they've fallen for. Most folks thank me and take it down off of FaceBook. I used to get a lot of emails with fake news, but it seems to be on FB more, much more than anywhere else, except on Twitter.

If I spy something that doesn't sound quite right I'll go to that website and usually can tell by the ads and links what bias they have. That's when I know it's not news but opinions. Real news is supposed to give you the facts, not opinions and let you decided what you will...
Seems to me like real news is falling more and more into the trap of spitting out opinions.
Like Sgt. Joe Friday says "Just the facts, ma'am" :)

Firefox version of BS detector says its corrupt. Chrome installed just fine.

Oz has most media telling what the Left want us to know. Journalists are in a union and these days simply are not qualified as yesteryear ones were. Not investagative around notice? And they just take it off twitter or repeat headlines from other news sources without checking. Trump should tell you its true anyway. I had a strong feeling he was going to get up after Brexit. And here One Nation that they call 'far right' but isnt just plain common sense policies but against the Left's.
so like Walter says - google source and decide for yourselves.