I found an interesting article on fivethirtyeight.com about fake news and how to address it. It's a long article but worth the read. This bit is near the end:
Media outlets keep trying to debunk fake news. This won't work, particularly for readers who have already decided that the traditional press is fake news — and, fair or not, partisan. Research suggests that the more partisan a topic, the more likely people who identify strongly with one side will double down on their argument even if they are presented with facts that counter it.
Maybe, instead, the media should do a better job of distinguishing real news from fake news, to regain readers' trust. Click-based advertising has left us adrift in a sea of inaccurate, sensational headlines, even at legitimate news outlets; this makes it easier for dramatic fake news headlines to survive. Aggregation has us spreading stories with no original research or corroboration, and it makes everyone look bad when outlets fall for fake bait. Over the holidays, a heartwarming story about a Santa Claus who visited a child's deathbed went viral. Three days later, the Knoxville News Sentinel, which originally published the story, retracted it, but not before it had spread to CNN, Fox, USA Today and more.
Maybe the news should stop trying so hard to entertain.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 07 2017, @02:21AM
Fake news is a propaganda term used to delegitamize any news originating from citizen journalists or outlets not owned by Gannett, Times, Time Warner, Disney, Viacom, etc.
To fix the problem, laugh or shrug whenever the term is encountered and never use it yourself.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 07 2017, @02:33AM
Could not said it any better.
Its the exact analogue to Soviet propaganda. If they spew about trains being safe, you better believe there was a massive train crash somewhere out of your immediate sight.
If you had a trillion dollars and wanted to keep hold of it, what would you buy and do?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday January 07 2017, @04:34AM
If you had a trillion dollars and wanted to keep hold of it, what would you buy and do?
Depends whether I wanted to do anything else.
If that was my sole desire, then using the interest on a trillion dollars, design and build a spaceship/coffin that can exceed escape velocity for the galaxy (~500-1000 km/s IIRC). Then have the Federal Government print me a trillion dollar banknote out of pure nickel-62, one of the four most stable isotopes in existence, (given that I would trade a trillion dollars in assets for that, I'm sure they'd go along just for the epic seigniorage) and aim my corpse for a nearby void in the local supercluster of galaxies with the bank note safely encapsulated in my spacecraft.
Unless I hit something before I manage to clear the galaxy, my trillion dollars is likely to last longer than a trillion years, perhaps by a few orders of magnitude.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 07 2017, @07:42AM
Dead guy in a projectile at sub-light speed, with a coin? of Nickel, one of the more common metals in the Universe, cruising between Galaxies? Dead people do not own anything, at best they are property of someone else, like Egyptian mummies used for fuel or paper production, back in the day. But can anyone, besides khallow here, be so greedy, so egotistical, so f88king crazed, as to imagine this as a good end? As good as a Viking ship burial, where you set it on fire and sink it so that no one else gets your horde of booty. Because, taxation is theft, and Death taxes are theft from the dead!! This is why I will not live next to Libertarians. Come the apocalypse, you would have to shoot them first, just out of principle.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday January 07 2017, @01:15PM
Dead guy in a projectile at sub-light speed, with a coin? of Nickel, one of the more common metals in the Universe, cruising between Galaxies? Dead people do not own anything, at best they are property of someone else, like Egyptian mummies used for fuel or paper production, back in the day.
I get the impression you disagree for some reason. I'm pretty sure with a trillion dollars I could make it legit ownership with laws and everything.
As good as a Viking ship burial, where you set it on fire and sink it so that no one else gets your horde of booty. Because, taxation is theft, and Death taxes are theft from the dead!! This is why I will not live next to Libertarians. Come the apocalypse, you would have to shoot them first, just out of principle.
Point is, it works better than anything solution you could come up with. You can only just mouth off about how bad libertarians are while ignoring the US government just got a trillion dollars in assets in exchange for a nice piece of nickel, which is pretty damn good for a supposedly libertarian outcome.
In reality, I wouldn't try to get a trillion dollars in wealth nor keep it if I did get it. It's just too much bother. Sure, if I somehow came across a trillion dollars, I'd find private causes to give most of the wealth to. I don't respect governments' ability to squander sums of money each year greater than the wealthiest of us will ever see in our lifetimes.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 07 2017, @03:07AM
Also to add to that. How about not being partisan? I know it is hard to remove bias. But if your first thoughts on a story is how does it help/hinder my party you are doing it wrong.
But 'fake news' is a brilliant bit of persuasion to come out of last years presidential race. The very term is designed to let you pick and choose what you think is true or false. With no interaction by the original person who was trying to bend you to their political bent. Not by the 'facts' contained within the story but by who represents the story. It allows a person to self select themselves into groups. Watch who decides what is 'real news' vs 'fake news'. You will then know who wants to control the conversation. The very stations saying 'fake fake fake' are the very same ones who have been caught actually manufacturing news or exaggerating it.
I personally tuned out of the 'news' about 16 years ago. I dip my toe back in once and awhile to see if it has got better. Usually not. Hell the stations I listened to were even telling me things I liked to hear. It was just too much. I started researching where news came from. Once I saw how the sausage was made I no longer wanted their sausage. Many stories are little more than thinly veiled propaganda or advertising promotional. The presenters then read off a teleprompter a per-canned story written by someone in another city/state/country. They pretend that they wrote it themselves with a glossy smile and flirty eyes.
News long ago stopped being about the story and about 'journalists' arguing with each other in primetime over the most nit picky of details. One candidate this last year used that to good effect. He would regularly say things 'slightly' wrong and then they would nit pic him with details. When what he wanted was them talking about him and the actual policy. He was setting the tone and they let him do it over and over. They get played every time and they let him do it to them. At first you kinda felt sorry for them. But after awhile when you see they keep going back and doing it you have to think maybe they like it. They are adults they can just chose to ignore him. Instead they trumpet (hehe see what I did) his every word. They have actually starved themselves of real news they allow others to manufacture it for them. They literally can not tell the difference. So he filled in the void with his own flavor of BS. When another group started doing the exact same thing they want to call it fake. Here is the 'news at 11'. It all is. News does not happen. It is manufactured and presented. All in the name of the commercials at the top and bottom of the half hour.
Now given all of that there is actual obvious bullshit out there. It is healthy to have a bit of skepticism on many things. Do not let it go to your head. However, A satanic pedophile ring was not out of the question on how much they have been colluding and 'correcting the record' (their own words). The emails are either very oddly, written or in code, or drinking pigs blood is just a sick art project.
Also take Snopes. Snopes went from debunking stupid BS email chain letters to picking a side in a political fight. That unfortunately brings into question all of their previous work. Which is unfortunate. It went from a usable source of information to just a way to perpetuate more arguments over people who want to control our freedoms and lives. They are becoming the very thing they fought against. I like this lesson in the form of this joke https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/26pf4s/an_irishman_at_the_bar_heavy_npr_listeners_might/ [reddit.com]
Given that it is time to tune out again. These people are too much.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by aristarchus on Saturday January 07 2017, @03:17AM
Also take Snopes. Snopes went from debunking stupid BS email chain letters to picking a side in a political fight. That unfortunately brings into question all of their previous work. Which is unfortunate. It went from a usable source of information to just a way to perpetuate more arguments over people who want to control our freedoms and lives.
Even more unfortunate that they chose the side of truth in the political fight. In fact, that is probably why you think it is unfortunate. And it brings into question all their earlier work, because fake news? Or because they are calling out fake news, and the Karl Rove method requires that you accuse your opponent of exactly what it is you are doing. More arguments? How quaint. Truth will ultimately control you, and reality has a well-known liberal bias. Oh, Donald has tiny hands.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 07 2017, @04:59AM
> Even more unfortunate that they chose the side of truth in the political fight.
A while back I got curious about all these claims of snopes having a liberal bias.
So I started bookmarking every story they ran where the conclusions were favorable to a conservative worldview (either debunking a pro-liberal story, or validating a pro-conservative story). Some of them were borderline as to which worldview they favored because real life isn't binary, so I tried to generous as to what would be positive for conservative viewpoints.
Here's the list for the last month and a half. Its not complete because I don't read snopes every day. Its a lower-bound.
Were Six Anti-Trump Protesters Killed by a Truck While Blocking a Freeway? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Does Donald Trump Have Klinefelter Syndrome? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Did 'Express' Use the Male Gender Symbol for a Women's Rights Cover? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Did Joel Osteen Offer to Reveal God's Plan in Exchange for $5,000? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Is the Modern Face of Jesus Modeled on a 'Gangster's Son'? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Julian Assange Maintains Russia Was Not the Source for WikiLeaks' DNC E-Mails : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Did Donald Trump Tweet and Delete New Year's Eve Regrets Over Winning? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Did Donald Trump Appoint Sarah Palin as a Science Advisor? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Did Bristol Palin Say Artists Won't Play Inauguration for Fear of Falling in Love with Trump? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Tower Billboard in Mumbai : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Republican Congress Approved 'Trump TV'? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
RNC Called President-Elect Trump a 'New King' in a Christmas Message? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Threatened Military Action Against Mexico? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
JetBlue Ejects Passengers After Encounter with Ivanka Trump : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Armed Officers Refused Seating at Cheesecake Factory : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Kuwait Moves Event from Four Seasons to Trump Hotel : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Sons Sell Access to Father for Hunting Trip Fundraiser : snopes.com [snopes.com]
'Rudy Giuliani' Banned From Twitter for Pizzagate Tweets : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Donald Trump Threatens to Arrest Alec Baldwin : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Takes Victory Tour of Moscow's Red Square : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Russian Flag at Texas State Capitol : snopes.com [snopes.com]
National Security Agencies on High Alert After Trump Caught Telling Dangerous Lie : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Salvation Army Bellringer's Sign About 'the Gays' : snopes.com [snopes.com]
John Kasich Said We Can't Entrust 'Abortion Decision' to Women? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Donald Trump Appoints Kanye West to Cabinet Position? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Muslim Teen Arrested for Filing False Report of Hate Crime : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Did Donald Trump Say the Earth Is Flat? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Says Africans Are Poor Because They Think of Sex Instead of Farming? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
National Park Service Denying Inauguration Protest Permits? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Democrats File Treason Charges Against Trump? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Did Donald Trump Say He Will Cut Social Security? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Paul Ryan Said Free Lunches Give Children 'Empty Souls'? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier's Twitter Account : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Ben Carson: 'Abortions Create Baby Ghosts that Haunt Hospitals' : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Harry & David Says Company is 'Neutral' on Racism, Neo-Nazis? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Does Donald Trump Own Carrier or Its Stock? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
New York City Schools Head Disparages 'Rumors' of Trump-Related Bullying Post-Election : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Cancels Obama's Muslim 'Ritual' : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Sarah Palin Calls to Boycott Mall of America Because 'Santa Was Always White in the Bible' : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump: 'We’re Bringing Back the Draft'? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Emboldened by Election, Texas Republicans Kill Medicaid Funding for Children with Disabilities? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Chris Christie Arrested for Keying Trump's Limo : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump Wearing Transparent Shirts : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Have Standing Rock Protesters Been Sprayed with Chemicals From Crop Duster Planes? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Christian-Owned Airlines Change Wing Light Colors to Celebrate Christmas? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump to Ban All Television Shows That Promote 'Gay Activity' : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Hillary Clinton Sponsored a Bill to Punish Flag Burning? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Burned Bible Page Found at Dollywood : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Millions of Muslims Marched Against the Islamic State : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump's Flip Flop on Flag Burning : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump's Latest Staff Pick Outed Dying Gay Brother? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Ivanka Trump Will Move Into White House 'to Fill Melania’s Vacancy' : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Rosie O'Donnell Claims Barron Trump Has Autism : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Picks El Chapo to Run DEA : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Three Wisconsin Counties 'Admit' They Padded Votes for Trump? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Donates 50k to Charleston Shooter Family to Move Him to Safer Prison : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Promises to Pardon Dylann Roof : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Tower Name Changed to 'Dump Tower' In Google Maps : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Edward Snowden Said Russia Successfully Rigged U.S. Elections In Favor Of Trump : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Ben Carson Thinks the Earth Would Have Exploded During Big Bang : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Donald Trump-Themed Ornaments Made in China : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Appoints Bill Cosby as Secretary for Women’s Rights? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Ivanka Trump Said If Donald Trump Wasn't Her Father, She Would 'Mace' Him? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Fox News Banned in Canada? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Audit the Vote : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Will It Cost Taxpayers $1 Million a Day for Trump's Family to Stay In New York? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Trump Team Accidentally Reveals 'Extreme' Immigration Plan? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Sarah Palin: 'I Can See Russia from My House' : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Producers of 'Hamilton' Issued 'Non-White' Casting Call : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Texas High School Students Fake Trump Assassination : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Lady Gaga Arrested for Twitter Attack on Melania Trump : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Donald Trump Denies Rumor He Tried to Get His Adult Children 'Top Level Security Clearances' : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Gold Star Family Says They Were Booed on Flight to Retrieve Soldier's Body : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Mike Pence's 'Gay Past' : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Neighborhood Town Watch Threatens Muslim Neighbors? : snopes.com [snopes.com]
Melania Trump and the Dakota Access Pipeline Protests : snopes.com [snopes.com]
'Hamilton' Actor Brandon Victor Dixon Tweets About St. Patrick's Day : snopes.com [snopes.com]