Fake News

[Vrede too]

How I greatly improved my life:
History - back in the early 2000's, I had a commute into/back from work of about 30-45 minutes on a good day, over an hour on quite a few. For what I though was light entertainment, I started listening to yap radio - early version Hannity, etc., and "participated" by yelling at the radio. Fairly quickly, I got tired of it and discovered audio books. The difference in my overall life was immediate and remarkable. I was more relaxed, tolerated the traffic much easier, got home more cheery and less tired, and didn't start any conversations with Lady O by ranting about what some idiot said on the radio. So what I had thought was "entertainment" was actually very stressful and had a demonstrable negative effect on my well-being and (probably, if I had kept at it longer) on my health.

I tried hate radio for a few months in the 1990s, 'know your enemy' and all. Gave it up for similar reasons.

So last year sometime, I did a "Maria Kondo" on what I'm willing to read, listen to, or watch. I've always been a news/politics junkie, so I don't try to stick my head in my bubble and ignore it all, but curating what I do accept makes a big difference. Here's what I do/don't do:

1. I don't watch any clips of Trump saying or doing anything. I'll read, usually no deeper than headlines, about what he does or says, but not him in person. It's just impossible to watch without yelling back.

Same here. It amazes me that Trumpettes can't see the slime oozing out of each pore.

... 3. I don't watch anybody whose job is to just set forth an official propaganda line.

Even lefty spin broadcast bores me.

... 6. I no longer pay much attention to individual outrageous stuff about Trump. I put it in the category of a major disaster of fire, flood, hurricane, whatever. The disaster created havoc and will require major overhaul. It doesn't do any good to wake up every day and say "the storm flooded a house!...the storm flooded a store! ... the fire burned a school..." as if they're new discoveries unrelated to the storm....

I enjoy throwing it in Trumpette faces. Hate radio was a one-way street.

[O Really]

Same here. It amazes me that Trumpettes can't see the slime oozing out of each pore.

They know it's slime - but it's their slime.
Also, if you've been indoctrinated for decades that the damgummint is the enemy, that gummint workers are incompetent freeloaders, and that all elected officials are crooks and sleazebags, then Trump's slime is no worse than anybody else and he's keeping out the Meskins and A-rabs.

[Vrede too]

They know it's slime - but it's their slime.
Also, if you've been indoctrinated for decades that the damgummint is the enemy, that gummint workers are incompetent freeloaders, and that all elected officials are crooks and sleazebags, then Trump's slime is no worse than anybody else and he's keeping out the Meskins and A-rabs.

Agreed, but I meant beyond that. I would be just as disgusted by him if he was a lefty. In fact, I was.

[O Really]

They know it's slime - but it's their slime.
Also, if you've been indoctrinated for decades that the damgummint is the enemy, that gummint workers are incompetent freeloaders, and that all elected officials are crooks and sleazebags, then Trump's slime is no worse than anybody else and he's keeping out the Meskins and A-rabs.

Agreed, but I meant beyond that. I would be just as disgusted by him if he was a lefty. In fact, I was.

I don't think there is a "beyond that." I think the numbers of people who really think Trump is not slimy are very few. And there aren't enough of them to put/keep him in office. But the ones who might prefer him not to be slimy yet put up with his sliminess because of his politics or because they are able to get something they want are the scary ones.

[Vrede too]

I don't think there is a "beyond that." I think the numbers of people who really think Trump is not slimy are very few. And there aren't enough of them to put/keep him in office. But the ones who might prefer him not to be slimy yet put up with his sliminess because of his politics or because they are able to get something they want are the scary ones.

Could be, those are partisans that have a higher tolerance for slime than I do, then.

[Vrede too]

Agreed, but I meant beyond that. I would be just as disgusted by him if he was a lefty. In fact, I was.

Hah, good timing on that one.

Donald and Ivanka Trump donated thousands to Kamala Harris as she rose in California politics

[Vrede too]

But what about the Kardashians?

Well the Kardashian show is more real and contributes more value to society than the Trump show. But then, again, that would apply to Honey Boo Boo and Jerry Springer, too.

Might have more objective value, too.

Kylie Jenner's makeup makes her the world's youngest billionaire

I don't think her line includes orange.

[Vrede too]

Along with fact check sites like Snopes it's often useful to check the credibility of a source. I just got turned on to:
Media Bias Fact Check
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/

It looks like it will be a great adjunct to my old favorite:
SourceWatch
https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=SourceWatch

[1 CAT FAN]

"In the cockpit, if we don't we die," a passenger shouts.

And then moments later a voice says: "Roll it." It is unclear if it is an echo of the iconic "Let's roll" rallying call of Todd Beamer, one of the ringleaders in the fight-back, or a command to rock the plane to overbalance the hijackers.

There are more groans, more cries of pain, more frantic shouts, and then a high-pitched hiss of static as the autopilot is turned off. Then a hijacker shouts "Allah is the greatest" and the plane smashes into the ground.

[Vrede too]

Liberals Don’t Share or Believe Fake News As Much As Right-Wingers, Study Finds
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/liberals-don- ... 37137.html (article)

Polarization, Partisanship and Junk News Consumption over Social Media in the US
http://comprop.oii.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/ ... nkNews.pdf (study)

[Vrede too]

North Carolina Facebook page labelled fake news

A Facebook page that seemed to be sharing local news in North Carolina is a textbook example of a disinformation campaign, BBC News has been told.

The site accumulated more than 50,000 followers in less than a month but also raised suspicions it was peddling fake news.

Administrators of the site claimed to be students at the North Carolina State University, working on a news project.

The university told BBC News that was not the case and blamed Russian bots.

Disinformation expert Dr Claire Wardle said: "It has all the hallmarks - it is labelled as 'satire' to get it past the Facebook fact-checkers, it is using genuine content but stories that are from years ago and from all over the US and not just North Carolina, it has stories that are meant to be racially divisive - it is a playbook of how to make disinformation work.

"I would be interested to know how it got so many followers so quickly but I would be nervous about saying it is a Russian account because it is difficult to verify.

"This could have been created by an American who wants to cause trouble."

Trump re-election

The administrators told the McClatchy News agency they were conducting a social-media project to see how fast news could be spread.

"Truth was not the goal," they said. They were seeking "to get President Trump re-elected".

Another reporter posted on Facebook she had been told the administrators were based in Florida and the page provided "twisted news and satire"....

Russia, Florida, not a huge difference .

[Whack9]

[neoplacebo]

That's about the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever read. It sounds like a cat fan post except with a cogent, though totally false, idea.

[billy.pilgrim]

That's about the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever read. It sounds like a cat fan post except with a cogent, though totally false, idea.

It's a good thing that you didn't frequent the lnf. That could have been any one of several.

[Whack9]

That's about the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever read. It sounds like a cat fan post except with a cogent, though totally false, idea.

This is pretty tame compared to some of the stuff out there spreading around Facebook like the herps.

[neoplacebo]

That's about the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever read. It sounds like a cat fan post except with a cogent, though totally false, idea.

It's a good thing that you didn't frequent the lnf. That could have been any one of several.

Yeah, those damn snowflakes, perpetual victims, and trump addled fools sure wouldn't dig what I'd have to say to them. I hold an exceptional and fine hatred for the supplicant sales manager; he fancies himself to be astute but in fact he's just another willfully ignorant moron.

[neoplacebo]

That's about the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever read. It sounds like a cat fan post except with a cogent, though totally false, idea.

This is pretty tame compared to some of the stuff out there spreading around Facebook like the herps.

I don't doubt it; it's why I don't do Facebook or twitter or any of that other pseudo clever bullshit. Besides, I don't have the time or inclination to address the multitudes of gullible fools I would no doubt antagonize with my blunt and easily understood views. And I don't particularly love the poorly educated.

[billy.pilgrim]

That's about the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever read. It sounds like a cat fan post except with a cogent, though totally false, idea.

It's a good thing that you didn't frequent the lnf. That could have been any one of several.

Yeah, those damn snowflakes, perpetual victims, and trump addled fools sure wouldn't dig what I'd have to say to them. I hold an exceptional and fine hatred for the supplicant sales manager; he fancies himself to be astute but in fact he's just another willfully ignorant moron.

The Snowflake's Perpetual Screed

Or maybe

The Screed of the Snowflake

[Vrede too]

Yeah, those damn snowflakes, perpetual victims, and trump addled fools sure wouldn't dig what I'd have to say to them. I hold an exceptional and fine hatred for the supplicant sales manager; he fancies himself to be astute but in fact he's just another willfully ignorant moron.

Yeah, wingnutty as the rest, but way more pretentious.

[Vrede too]

Fake News has been with us a long time:



What a Wild West Duel Really Looked Like

The content makes sense and the source seems credible, but I didn't bother looking into it. Fwiw, the commenters don't challenge the veracity.