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FAKE NEWS!

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Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
I just can't believe it! And, I guess, we should all go around saying that line to ourselves over and over again because...I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

So, today my husband comes home from a visit and tells me his friend is claiming that our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau is a Muslim and that someone else he was visiting with said he'd seen the same thing on Facebook. Understandably, my husband was asking me about Trudeau's faith. I told him he is a Roman Catholic, and I proceeded to show him several reputable sites that explain about his faith, upbringing, schooling (he went to a Jesuit school...ultra Catholic.) He was married in the Catholic church, his father, former prime minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, was a fervent Catholic. Even his mother converted from Anglican to Catholic before her marriage. Okay! So they are Catholic...Catholic...very, very, Catholic.

But, where did this false claim originate? So, I did a search for "Fake News Reports About Justin Trudeau." And boy, did I get an eyeful. In particular there was a BuzzFeed article about two fake news purveyors, both from Ontario, both teenagers and both making money, hand-over-fist, creating stories about Trudeau. And why? Well, they create the websites and load Google AdSense, and they get "CLICKS." The more outrageous the stories, the more clicks they get, the more clicks they get, the more money pours into their accounts. EASY MONEY telling people things they want to hear. Both are very talented web designers, and they had tried to build legit social media sites, but couldn't get enough people interested. They opened this one and wrote an article about Trudeau wanting to open marijuana stores across Canada and WOW, the money rolled in. Now they've opened up two more fake news sites so they can multiply their financial gains.

One of these kids goes to Carleton University and the other plans to join him there in a couple of years. And, NO, they don't think they are doing anyone any harm. They have ethics. They won't claim any celebrity is dead, you know, important stuff. And their Facebook pages have somewhere near 20 or 30,000 regular viewers (can't remember the exact number he quoted), but, get this, they are shooting for a million because the "number sounds cool."

This Sort of Stuff Really Pisses Me Off!

We've listened to all the news from the States about these Fake News Sites being used to confuse and
re-direct voters, some are run by Russian operatives, some by bullshit artists, probably the same type as these kids in Canada; smart enough to know better, too young, dumb and full of cum to resist, and some are run by anarchists trying to destroy the Union of The United States.

PEOPLE! YOU NEED TO DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE AND SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH. Whatever you do do, don't sell your country down the drain for these news trolls. Fight for the truth.
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
The Internet and social media have become the most unreliable source of news but unfortunately it is also how most people get the news now. And there are people that choose to exploit the naivety of the many people who actually belive that if the Internet says so it must be true.
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Some of the fake news sites in the states are run exactly like and for the same reasons your Canadian teens are doing it.... it is a huge money making source. I have read a few interviews with some of those site owners. One guy mentioned the amount of money he was making and I had to ask myself if my ethics are worth not taking advantage of the stupid people in the world... I do have the resources and skills to implement exactly this sort of thing and being able to afford a nice big house sounds great. Being my own boss and working wherever I want has an appeal.... I understand why these people are doing it. It's awful and damaging and I get the appeal of being the source of it.
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Wow I wrote a great reply, but accidentally posted it in another thread. I've asked Vicki to move it or arrange for it to be moved.

If you can catch the View for today, Whoopie had a lot to say about fake news and the Troll that screwed with her and her family this year. She's going after him. She had to hire extra security to protect her family because of a lie he was promoting on his site. And it was an easily discovered lie. Just go to the View website and see the truth. What's wrong with people.

I have at least four news sites on my desktop and I go to them everyday. I search in country and out-of-country sites, and when I'm finished, I have a good idea as to what happened. It's not hard to stay informed, but you have to try.
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Interesting story about Fake News on Politico Magazine...delving back 75 years to view the phenomena then. Have a read.
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
One of the interviews I read from one guy who is very successful with his fake news he said it started as a sattire sort of thing in his mind. He wrote news that was so (to him) obviously fake and ridiculous that he thought of it as more political satire (sort of like the onion). When certain people started viewing his stuff as real he continued to prove a point about how a certain type of reader lacks intelligence and critical thinking. He had said that he didn't dream it would be so popular and taken so seriously nor that it was something he would end up basically making a fortune off of.... What started off as making a point turned into the creation of an empire for this guy. He has multiple sites he runs now doing this and he hires people to write articles for him because he can't keep up with it all. He said the trick was to write about stuff that people want to believe is true. For example people want to hate Hillary so write stories about her murdering people or doing horrible things and voila everyone believes it, clicks and reads. You now have page views and ad revenue and the money rolls in. So for some of these guys at least it started out fairly innocently and well money is a great motivator. And there is an argument to be made about leaving people to their fate if they are so ignorant that they are willing to believe in fake news. Then again that kind of screws the rest of us who actually are rational thinking beings.... But, I suppose if you are the creator of the content you can buy yourself out of the consequences. :/
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Wow I wrote a great reply, but accidentally posted it in another thread. I've asked Vicki to move it or arrange for it to be moved.

If you can catch the View for today, Whoopie had a lot to say about fake news and the Troll that screwed with her and her family this year. She's going after him. She had to hire extra security to protect her family because of a lie he was promoting on his site. And it was an easily discovered lie. Just go to the View website and see the truth. What's wrong with people.

I have at least four news sites on my desktop and I go to them everyday. I search in country and out-of-country sites, and when I'm finished, I have a good idea as to what happened. It's not hard to stay informed, but you have to try.
I have my go to reliable sources... NPR, BBC, New York Times, Washington Post are all at the top of my list. I have certain reporters I like and follow individually and when I need a break from the serious stuff I turn to John Oliver, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, and Maher to lighten the mood and when even that becomes too much I tune out and go to fiction books and shows. Sometimes I need to breaks from the news for a week at a time just to clear my head and I am constantly trying to remind myself to avoid avoid avoid the comment sections online at all costs. The comment sections hurt me and make me want to scream and rant at the ignorance that is out there. Always avoid the comment sections. No good comes of the comment sections on news stories. No good at all.
 

Elana P

Well-Known Member
I just can't believe it! And, I guess, we should all go around saying that line to ourselves over and over again because...I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

So, today my husband comes home from a visit and tells me his friend is claiming that our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau is a Muslim and that someone else he was visiting with said he'd seen the same thing on Facebook. Understandably, my husband was asking me about Trudeau's faith. I told him he is a Roman Catholic, and I proceeded to show him several reputable sites that explain about his faith, upbringing, schooling (he went to a Jesuit school...ultra Catholic.) He was married in the Catholic church, his father, former prime minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, was a fervent Catholic. Even his mother converted from Anglican to Catholic before her marriage. Okay! So they are Catholic...Catholic...very, very, Catholic.

But, where did this false claim originate? So, I did a search for "Fake News Reports About Justin Trudeau." And boy, did I get an eyeful. In particular there was a BuzzFeed article about two fake news purveyors, both from Ontario, both teenagers and both making money, hand-over-fist, creating stories about Trudeau. And why? Well, they create the websites and load Google AdSense, and they get "CLICKS." The more outrageous the stories, the more clicks they get, the more clicks they get, the more money pours into their accounts. EASY MONEY telling people things they want to hear. Both are very talented web designers, and they had tried to build legit social media sites, but couldn't get enough people interested. They opened this one and wrote an article about Trudeau wanting to open marijuana stores across Canada and WOW, the money rolled in. Now they've opened up two more fake news sites so they can multiply their financial gains.

One of these kids goes to Carleton University and the other plans to join him there in a couple of years. And, NO, they don't think they are doing anyone any harm. They have ethics. They won't claim any celebrity is dead, you know, important stuff. And their Facebook pages have somewhere near 20 or 30,000 regular viewers (can't remember the exact number he quoted), but, get this, they are shooting for a million because the "number sounds cool."

This Sort of Stuff Really Pisses Me Off!

We've listened to all the news from the States about these Fake News Sites being used to confuse and
re-direct voters, some are run by Russian operatives, some by bullshit artists, probably the same type as these kids in Canada; smart enough to know better, too young, dumb and full of cum to resist, and some are run by anarchists trying to destroy the Union of The United States.

PEOPLE! YOU NEED TO DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE AND SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH. Whatever you do do, don't sell your country down the drain for these news trolls. Fight for the truth.
 

Elana P

Well-Known Member
Just start a good one going, lol.

THE TROLL IS AN ALIEN!!!

NEWS FLASH.

WE HAVE IT ON GOOD AUTHORITY, THAT POLITICS TODAY ARE BEING INFLUENCED BY OTHER WORLDLY POWERS.

FOR THE PERIOD OF AT LEAST EIGHTY YEARS, WOMEN ON EARTH HAVE BEEN IMPREGNATED BY ALIEN SPERM, AND NOW IT COMES INTO THE LIGHT, AS THESE OFFSPRING ARE BEING STRATEGICALLY PLACED INTO HIGH GOVENMENT POSITIONS IN OUR WORLD.....

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINING OF A WELL PLANNED TAKE OVER.

;););)
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Yeah, here in the states Fake News is off the rails.

Fake news abounds - from the very outlets the President likes to watch, listen to and retweet about... so those are the "GOOD, Very Good" news sources.

Real facts are labeled at Fake News because the President doesn't like how those facts make him look... so those news outlets are "BAD, Very Bad" news sources.

GRRRRRRR.

Then, there are the PAID TROLLS.... some people just like to piss people off and get a reaction, but there are also certain entities that WANT to sow discord amongst the public. A confused public focused on conspiracy theories does not vote in their own best interest, and does not pay attention to little details, like POLICY... so... the more anger, frustration and discord you can put out there via Social Network TROLLS, the better for those currently in power, and/or for those looking to overthrow the existing regime (depending on the Troll).

Disgusting work, but until John Q. Public doesn't make it profitable (by clicking), it will continue. :(

Nik - you and I use the same "real" news sources. :)
I have added The National Review to my daily headline scan (Center/Right)... to see what the conservatives are keeping track on and/or how they're spinning certain stories. It's amazing how much they DON'T report on that the Center/Left news agencies are tracking.
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
My information line-up is dependent on my PVR and my internet connection. I follow: The Washington Post, Reuters World News, Politico, Huffington Post, The Hill (worth looking at.) The Independent and occasionally the Guardian. Recently, I tagged onto Alternet, and The Real News Network (I really like their stated position: "No Advertising, Government or Corporate Funding.)

I watch on a daily basis, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Late Night with Seth Meyers. I give a nod to James Corden and sometimes Jimmy Fallon, at least for their opening monologues. When I can, I catch up with the View, I can't stand the over talking and the screaming, but...they cover a lot of ground about the lies that are told each day.

Weekly, I catch up with Real Time with Bill Maher, This Week in Review with George Stephanopoulos, Face the Nation and Meet the Press. My PVR gets a workout. Oops, forgot Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

I have to do this to keep up with the crap that is pouring out of misinformation websites, and hunt the truth down, and some times, folks, I just need to LMFAO!!!!

Oh, I forgot another, I get alerts from CNN.

My husband has been dragged into my political world of interest. He hardly knew who our P.M. was. Totally oblivious to the world around him, but he's come around. Now he becomes petulant if I start my coffee ritual in the morning watching all the late night shows on the PVR and I don't wait for him. At least the comedy he gets readily. But he's one of those explosive types so watching the news can be deafening, and counter-productive, I can't hear a thing while he's storming around the room throwing fits about Trump, et al.

Keeping up with Trump has lessened my time following our Canadian politics, but our worlds do collide and I feel it is my duty...DUTY...as a Canadian to inform others, CORRECTLY, as to the goings on down south. It will affect us in greater ways than just NAFTA.

The Best Defense Is The Truth. Guard your hearts and your minds and save your democracies with the Truth! If you don't know it is true, don't re-tweet or forward suspicious nonsense, don't add to the problem. Kill it at the root, don't click, don't become a "carrier" of this disease. I call that being a PATRIOT.

SORRY...:mad:, it's truly visceral. It's like looking back at the propaganda machines before W.W.II.

If you've never read the "First They Came..." Poem, take a moment to reflect on its truths.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
My information line-up is dependent on my PVR and my internet connection. I follow: The Washington Post, Reuters World News, Politico, Huffington Post, The Hill (worth looking at.) The Independent and occasionally the Guardian. Recently, I tagged onto Alternet, and The Real News Network (I really like their stated position: "No Advertising, Government or Corporate Funding.)

I watch on a daily basis, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Late Night with Seth Meyers. I give a nod to James Corden and sometimes Jimmy Fallon, at least for their opening monologues. When I can, I catch up with the View, I can't stand the over talking and the screaming, but...they cover a lot of ground about the lies that are told each day.

Weekly, I catch up with Real Time with Bill Maher, This Week in Review with George Stephanopoulos, Face the Nation and Meet the Press. My PVR gets a workout. Oops, forgot Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

I have to do this to keep up with the crap that is pouring out of misinformation websites, and hunt the truth down, and some times, folks, I just need to LMFAO!!!!

Oh, I forgot another, I get alerts from CNN.

My husband has been dragged into my political world of interest. He hardly knew who our P.M. was. Totally oblivious to the world around him, but he's come around. Now he becomes petulant if I start my coffee ritual in the morning watching all the late night shows on the PVR and I don't wait for him. At least the comedy he gets readily. But he's one of those explosive types so watching the news can be deafening, and counter-productive, I can't hear a thing while he's storming around the room throwing fits about Trump, et al.

Keeping up with Trump has lessened my time following our Canadian politics, but our worlds do collide and I feel it is my duty...DUTY...as a Canadian to inform others, CORRECTLY, as to the goings on down south. It will affect us in greater ways than just NAFTA.

The Best Defense Is The Truth. Guard your hearts and your minds and save your democracies with the Truth! If you don't know it is true, don't re-tweet or forward suspicious nonsense, don't add to the problem. Kill it at the root, don't click, don't become a "carrier" of this disease. I call that being a PATRIOT.

SORRY...:mad:, it's truly visceral. It's like looking back at the propaganda machines before W.W.II.

If you've never read the "First They Came..." Poem, take a moment to reflect on its truths.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...

speaking of the "first they came" poem there is an excellent children's book based off of the poem using animals and monsters to get the point across. I don't remember the title but I had the book as a child and it was absolutely excellent.

Funny about your husband becoming petulant if you watch stuff without him. Mine does the same. It is at the point where I think I need to find shows that I never let him watch because he even ends up hooked on my girly shows. So, for example, I let him watch one episode of Gilmore Girls with me when I was binging it so I could see the reunion and after that I would catch an angry earful if dared watch Gilmore Girls without him. lol
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Ihttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/356388.Terrible_Things

I believe the book you are referring to is: Terrible Things. You can find it at the site above. It has 4 1/2 stars.

The book is, as I understand it from the blurb, an introduction to the holocaust with creatures playing the parts and it uses the ideas expressed in the poem by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) . The idea was to help children understand how to stand up for things that are good and to do it without waiting for others to join in.

I think I'll try to locate a copy locally and have a read.
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Thanks Boxergirl! I really hope everyone takes a look, and I hope they also visit Wikipedia to read the poem for themselves.
 

marke

Well-Known Member
The most harmful fake news I’ve seen has been the implication of the Russian collusion with the PRESIDENT of the United States .. it is a threat to our democracy , lightyears beyond candidate trump saying he would wait and see before conceding the election at a presidential debate ……..there are actually lots of people that believe this Russian collusion hype ………or the ties between trump and the nazi , white supremacist fake news is also dangerous , folks believe that ………… the racist crap is divisive , the Russian bs is dangerous ……… a Russian entity may very well have hacked podesta , and the dnc , but they didn’t make up all the underhanded collusion in the e-mails they stole ……….. the news’s job is to get an audience at all cost , it’s a private business , not the public service folks may think it is ………… common sense tells me , along with absolutely no evidence to the contrary , that Russia would not prefer a guy who says , when they did the last missile test , they’re a broke country if they want an arms race let’s have at it ……. Or proposes a 54 million dollar increase in military spending … or knows the only way to world peace is through strength ….. or threatens giving japan and south korea nuclear weapons ……… anyone who doesn’t understand a working relationship with Russia , and china , is in the best interest of the world , really has nothing to add to a geopolitical conversation … to politicize those relationships with speculation and unsubstantiated innuendo for American votes is not only divisive , but dangerous and irresponsible …….. with how destabilized the world is right now , a new cold war would probably be more dangerous than the bluff and bluster of the the last one ……… Russia has been given a lot of power in the middle east , Syria and iran , iran will take Iraq if given the opportunity ……… the world is in the shape it is right now from almost a decade of preaching “we need to get along “ for the votes of their base , all the while bombing and destabilizing a half dozen middle east and north African countries on the down low ………emboldening Russia , north korea , and iran …..… the media is dangerously bias , with an obvious agenda …… how many times did you see on cnn president obama telling the Russian ambassador to tell vladamir I’ll have more flexibility after I get re-elected ??????? or how many times have they shown hillary and her stupid “Russian reset” ?????? how many stories have they run on obama’s campaign manager david axelrod’s affiliations to the communist party ?????? how much coverage was ever given to relationships with frank davis , saul alinsky , david canter …………..??? Chicago is the capital of crooked politics in America , and American communism …….. how did the Washington post end up with up with the nbc access Hollywood video ??? the irs leaking tax returns , the intelligence agencies leaking transcripts of private US citizens phone conversations ………… dennis kucinich having a journalist play a recording of a private conversation he had in his congressional office with gaddafi’s son during the obama administration ……….. the “President” of the united states having private conversations with other world leaders leaked to the press ??? we definitely are in crisis , and it’s got nothing to do with the Russians …….. if I’ve disseminated any “fake news” , please let me know , I’m sure I can quote sources beyond the national enquirer ………. someone mentioned the new York times as reputable ??? "As the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013, Canadian records show, a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation. Uranium One’s chairman used his family foundation to make four donations totaling $2.35 million. Those contributions were not publicly disclosed by the Clintons, despite an agreement Mrs. Clinton had struck with the Obama White House to publicly identify all donors. Other people with ties to the company made donations as well." how many times during the campaign did the other reputable news sources bring up the Clinton foundation and the Russian uranium deal ??????????
 
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