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Crowdsourced Volunteers Search For Solutions To Fake News (wired.co.uk)

Upworthy co-founder Eli Pariser is leading a group of online volunteers hunting for ways to respond to the spread of fake news. An anonymous reader quotes Wired UK: Inside a Google Doc, volunteers are gathering ideas and approaches to get a grip on the untruthful news stories. It is part analysis, part brainstorming, with those involved being encouraged to read widely around the topic before contributing. "This is a massive endeavour but well worth it," they say...

At present, the group is coming up with a list of potential solutions and approaches. Possible methods the group is looking at include: more human editors, fingerprinting viral stories then training algorithms on confirmed fakes, domain checking, the blockchain, a reliability algorithm, sentiment analysis, a Wikipedia for news sources, and more.

The article also suggests this effort may one day spawn fake news-fighting tech startups.

270 comments

  1. Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So you are going to close down MSNBC and CNN as well?

    1. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Place+a+name+here · · Score: 2

      When people thought the earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together.

      No news is perfectly accurate, but some moreso than others.

    2. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      An algorithmic detector won't consider the source, only the contents. Problem solved.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    3. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think you know what the hell you're talking about.

    4. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Z00L00K · · Score: 1

      And what about "The Onion"???

      When is it parody, when is it fake news and what about cases when the channel contains some truth and some lies, where do we draw the line?

      --
      If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
    5. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      No. They make mistakes and could certainly do better, but not all news is fake. There is true news it there and if you read multiple reputable sources and do some basic checks on things that seem unlikely you won't go wrong.

      Take your post-truth bullshit elsewhere, AC.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    6. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by allcoolnameswheretak · · Score: 1

      Gotta love those heroes of Slashdot who mod you down because they don't like what you say and are probably too stupid and lazy to give counter arguments instead.

    7. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      Is that why the word "domain" is listed?

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    8. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 0

      Pretty dumb because all news are fake.

      "All news are fake". Who benefits from the belief that "all news are fake"?

      And since this statement is clearly being made by a non-native English speaker (I assume Russian), who benefits from getting Americans to believe that "all news are fake""?

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    9. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by I75BJC · · Score: 3, Interesting

      As you said, you are NOT a USA person/citizen/American. CNN and MSNBC have decidedly supported Leftist causes to the detriment of reporting "all" the news. The reluctance to report concerning the Clinton email scandal (until they were "forced" to report). The ignoring of the Clinton health question (which could have actually reduced the impact of the reports on her health). The stated support for Leftist causes. As a person who can decide what to think, I greatly prefer a non-slanted news report. MSNBC is much the same but I don't carry the details around in my head.

    10. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Fragnet · · Score: 1

      CNN? The BBC? Ahahahahahahaha. You're a funny guy.

    11. Re: Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I watch CNN International when overseas for their quality reporting. I watch CNN in the US to see what agenda is being pushed this month. They're very different organizations with very different agendas. Let me encourage you, next time you're in turmStates, to watch CNN and marvel at the difference.

    12. Re: Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They are not news sites. They provide entertainment. I don't think they have journalists. If they do, they are not doing their jobs.

    13. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by PvtVoid · · Score: 2

      I read the German public news (Tagesschau), the BBC, Spanish "El Pais", Al-Jazeera for the middle east perspective and also CNN and Fox News for the American pitches (MSNBC not so much).

      And from comparing all of these together, I believe I am qualified to say that CNN has a good quality to their journalism, at least the main articles.

      Oddly, if you watch CNN International on TV in Europe, it's actually very good journalism. The U.S. version is a horrifying cesspool of vapid trash, and the worst part of it is that there are TVs everywhere in the U.S. You can't go to a bar without getting Fox News stuffed in your face, and you can't go to an airport without a panel blaring CNN being always within your line of sight.

      From my experience, the best TV journalism right now is coming from Al Jazeera. Thanks to Al Gore, Al Jazeera English on the web is now blocked in the U.S., despite the fact that Al Jazeera America failed. This country is so fucked up.

    14. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's news and there's facts. Real news should be the reporting of facts, but of course any report is couched in terms of the reporters own bias, as much as a professional will try to minimise that, and can be further distorted by editorialisation (selective reporting). So even "true" news can be objectively false unless you are aware of all the facts, which is almost never the case.

      From a philosophical point of view, the idea of an absolute universal truth is in itself a highly dubious claim. Even observers witnessing the same scene can come away with some very different reports of what they saw. So what are you going to trust? Your natural choice as a human being is to trust reports that reinforce your own world view, and avoid or ignore those that do not, you choose what you consider to be "reputable", and therefore you go wrong.

      So, in all this uncertainty, how can you be sure you have a good understanding of reality? Alternatively, if you consider every point of view, no matter how crazy, how can you not be swayed back and forth by every conflicting report that pops into your view?

      Good luck!

    15. Re: Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nothing outside my own mind exists; all news is fake because all everything is fake.

    16. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Hi buddy,

      Here is a blatant example of the fake news put out by CNN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-8Cn6boqcA

      This was a lie by omission to shape the narrative in favor of their agenda.

      Another example is the Mainstream Media coverage of Black Lives Matter, especially the people killed in self defense by the police. Couple that with the failure to cover the identities of those who are arrested each year in Operation Cross Country and various other crimes that are ignored by national news http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/elderly-woman-burned-beaten-in-her-home-dies-weeks-after-attack/430968502 and you will understand why we all know that the MSM, led by CNN has abdicated their credibility.

    17. Re: Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by arth1 · · Score: 1

      Nothing outside my own mind exists; all news is fake because all everything is fake.

      Ah. You are the solipsist.

    18. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You didn't even read the article you're responding to, did you?

    19. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      Solipsism doesn't strike me as a good thing to base a democracy on.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    20. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by mi · · Score: 1

      I read the German public news (Tagesschau), the BBC, Spanish "El Pais", Al-Jazeera

      All of these are sponsored by their respective governments and therefor undeniably tainted.

      I believe I am qualified to say that CNN has a good quality to their journalism

      Only in a sence, a men accustomed to eating excrement of buffaloes, elephants, and tigers, is "qualified" to judges that of cats and bisons.

      I have yet to see blatant fake news on CNN.

      Oh, please. The even Wikipedia has a list of what it gently calls CNN controversies . And that's just where they got caught... My "favorites" would be:

      Operation Tailwind, 1998 CNN and Time-magazine accused Pentagon of using Sarin to kill American defectors in Vietnam Assault weapons, 2003 CNN demonstrated the rapid firing of fully-automatic firearms while covering the federal Assault Weapons Ban, due to expire the following year. The ban was covering only the semi-automatic weapons. Coverage of Serbia, 2008 CNN reported on pro-Karadzic protests in Belgrade as well as the protester clashes with the Serb police. However, the actual footage of the Belgrade clash in the report was inter-cut with sequences from the much more violent 2006 Budapest riot in which cars were set on fire and police used water cannons. The network falsely presented the mixed footage as video from the Belgrade protests.

      Various channels of Putin-TV do this to Ukraine all the time nowadays, I wonder, where they got the idea...

      These are just the established and verified "errors" of the past. Then there is scandalous coverage of Trayvon Martin's death, when the US media — CNN included — pushed a false narrative, that the killing was racially motivated. They even presented his killer as "White" and implied, he was a "Conservative", even though Mr. Zimmerman was of Hispanic origin and a registered Democrat.

      The 2016 presidential campaign has shown all of the US "established" media as biased liars, but it will take years of tedious sorting out. CNN? The supposedly "objective" information source has leaked debate questions to one of the debate-participants ahead of time. Twicethat we know of! They got rid of the Donna Brazile over it, but she, obviously, was not acting alone — the rest remain at CNN. Great journalist organization...

      --
      In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    21. Re: Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Um, Google "cnn apology" and read the three apologies they've had to write in the past month alone... And that's just for the ones they got caught with.

      CNN lies constantly. Every single article is written with an agenda. They inject editorial opinions into everything, including "news" that is presented as facts.

      They are not journalists. They are propaganda artists and you are a fucking sucker.

    22. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by nbauman · · Score: 1

      So, in all this uncertainty, how can you be sure you have a good understanding of reality? Alternatively, if you consider every point of view, no matter how crazy, how can you not be swayed back and forth by every conflicting report that pops into your view?

      John Stuart Mill. On Liberty.
      http://www.bartleby.com/130/2....

    23. Re: Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by allcoolnameswheretak · · Score: 1

      Google it yourself and you will find nothing of what you mention. In fact, what you find is this:

      http://variety.com/2016/tv/new...

      CNN issued a formal apology for putting a banner graphic on screen that appeared to give credence to extreme right-wing propaganda about people of the Jewish faith.

    24. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by allcoolnameswheretak · · Score: 1

      That is not -fake -news. There is of course selective journalism and it is no surprise CNN will censor a woman saying "shit" 5 times in a sentence. You can't air that in public television. Also, the woman is not "calling for violence" she is saying if you need to burn shit down, do it somewhere else, and she is obviously emotionally agitated. That's the equivalent of a bartender asking a pair of ruffians to take their fight outside.

      If you put that on the same level as actual -fake news- where people either totally make up facts or deny actual, real facts, there is something wrong with your perception. There is real, actual fake news, and you won't find that stuff on CNN, but on Breitbart, for example.

    25. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by allcoolnameswheretak · · Score: 1, Informative

      The problem with America is, your moral compass is skewed so far to the right, that you perceive CNN as being on the left.

      Sorry, but it's not true. It's your perception that is the problem. By European standards, or the rest of the world for that matter, CNN is even conservative. It's the American society that for some reason has drifted so far to the right, it's not even funny anymore. Only in America some nutcase conservative could come up with something as "Conservapedia"
      http://www.conservapedia.com/
      Because Wikipedia, a real encyclopedia, has a "liberal bias".

      Only in America!

    26. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's okay, because the US doesn't have a democracy. If you listen to some of the more loud-mouthed right on here at the moment you'd believe it had become an ochlocracy, but at the end of the day the US is currently an oligarchy.

    27. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by tuxgeek · · Score: 1

      Best place to start is with Fox News as they do the worst damage spreading their brand of hate and misinformation dressed up all cute and friendly like. Very deceiving group there.

      Then again, the problem would be null if we spent less time finger pointing and blaming everyone but ourselves for our problems.

      --
      "Suppose you were an idiot...and suppose you were a member of Congress...but I repeat myself." Mark Twain
    28. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think I'll give utilitarianism a pass, thanks, if current affairs have taught us anything, it's that different people most certainly need different things.

    29. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Charcharodon · · Score: 1

      CNN is more guilty of looking into the sky to comment on the weather rather than look down at their feet as they step over the bodies left in the wake of their pet political ideologies and parties.

      "We don't lie" is not the same thing as "We tell the truth"

      They just conveniently forget to mention all stories that might go against their narrative.

    30. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Charcharodon · · Score: 1, Troll

      All perspective is relative and all space is infinite. There is no left and right. There is free and not free and all the variations in between.

      . You are criticizing us by moving the origin point to a location that makes you look reasonable and us crazy. That is dishonest/delusional.

      What you don't seem to realize is just a few points to the left from your "reasonable" position are the historical governments of Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia. All you need is another major economic, cultural, or military crisis (almost there on all three) and the rise of a ruthless leader willing to use all that power Europeans have just handed over to their government like the good little sheep they are.

      We on the other hand are pushing very hard to stay as far away as possible from those positions and are more than happy that you find it disappointing.

    31. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      I'm not American, I'm a multilingual European

      "In Soviet Europe, News reads you!"

      . . . multilingually . . .

      "I am not a number! I am a free man!" -- PolygamousRanchPrisoner

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    32. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My European ancestors escaped to America to avoid small minded bigots such as yourself. Yes, our governments are bad, but yours are worse. Thus, I don't give damn what you think.

    33. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      Loudmouths say lots of absurd things. America was built on conspiracy theories. The Declaration of Independence invokes at least one, when it references the Crown's allowing the residents of New France keeping their civil legal system as evidence that King George intended to overthrow the English Common Law system:

      For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

      Of course, that never actually happened and Quebec remains the only part of the former British North America that uses a civil law system. Meanwhile a few decades later one of those Founding Father's happily purchased French territory for the US and allowed it to retain that dreaded alien legal system.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    34. Re: Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My irony meter just exploded.

    35. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Oligonicella · · Score: 1

      No, it is not blocked. You really should have tried to access English Al Jazeera before writing that. I just visited the English site to check.

    36. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Oligonicella · · Score: 1

      You need to read the response to you by mi ( 197448 ). Obviously you *will* find that stuff on CNN.

    37. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by PvtVoid · · Score: 1

      No, it is not blocked. You really should have tried to access English Al Jazeera before writing that. I just visited the English site to check.

      Well, I'll be damned. It's back. Yay!

    38. Re:Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When is it parody

      When it is making fun of the original

      when is it fake news

      When it is fake

      and what about cases when the channel contains some truth and some lies

      It shouldn't contain lies. It's news, not "interesting but fake story time". That is what fantasy stories are for.

      where do we draw the line?

      Where we already do: Journalists should try to tell as much truth as is possible, and check their facts and sources. This will gain them a reputation of being trustworthy. The ability to say that you didn't know it was false at the time of writing is no excuse for not checking facts in the first place.

    39. Re: Pretty dumb because all news are fake. by coteriescavenger · · Score: 1, Troll

      Actually, you Europeans are the ones who drifted to the left. America faired better against the Marxist movement than your countries did. I'm pretty sure it's on the verge of breaking America too, but I don't think they expected Trump. Anyway, CNN is known to be on the left by freedom standards, and now they've been caught purposely misleading the public to elect Hillary.

  2. Well you could start by not falling for it by Crashmarik · · Score: 5, Interesting

    https://theintercept.com/2016/...

    Seeing as the Fake News idea is being promoted by people who won't even come out into the open.

    In other words, the individuals behind this newly created group are publicly branding journalists and news outlets as tools of Russian propaganda – even calling on the FBI to investigate them for espionage – while cowardly hiding their own identities.

    The credentials of this supposed group of experts are impossible to verify, as none is provided either by the Post or by the group itself. The Intercept contacted PropOrNot and asked numerous questions about about its team, but received only this reply: “We’re getting a lot of requests for comment and can get back to you today =) [smiley face emoticon].” The group added: “We’re over 30 people, organized into teams, and we cannot confirm or deny anyone’s involvement.”

    And if you really want to stop fake news, you can ask questions. A good one to start with, is where is the proof that Russia did any of this ?

    1. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed, with the rate this Fake News bullshit is pushed, someone with money and power really want us to not read some specific truths that must be out there right ...

    2. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      And if you really want to stop fake news, you can ask questions. A good one to start with, is where is the proof that Russia did any of this ?

      The fact that Putin has replaced Donald J Trump with a surgically altered body double Russian agent should give you a clue, if you are seriously asking that question.

    3. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

      What I want to know is... which of the stages of grief does this focus on fake news represent? I'm thinking maybe "bargaining".

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    4. Re: Well you could start by not falling for it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      right, and recent rant by Trump about communist dictator Castro, also a friend of Putin, somehow substantiates your claim too?

      You stupid liberals are out of touch with reality.

    5. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Denial

      As long as a person has something to base their denial of reality on, then they can never move on to any form of recovery

    6. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A good one to start with, is where is the proof that Russia did any of this ?

      Russia have been pushing fake news for 50 years now. Where is the proof that they suddenly stopped?

    7. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by dbIII · · Score: 1

      A good one to start with, is where is the proof that Russia did any of this ?

      Does it matter?
      As an aside the Chinese English language media outlets are a hilarious example of fake news that's worth looking at for a laugh. The story from former insiders is that a combination of very tight deadlines, a need to fill a lot of space per writer plus having to follow the Party line to an extreme results in a collection of bullshit, puff pieces, hilarious typos and recycled rants against anyone that they have heard of who is critical of China.
      That we are seeing stuff like that in other places is a bit of a worry no matter who is paying the PR agencies or whatever.

    8. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by guises · · Score: 1

      Seeing as the Fake News idea is being promoted by people who won't even come out into the open.

      You seem to be conflating two different things. This blacklist is being promoted by people who won't com out into the open, the "fake news idea" is a very broad one promoted by lots of people, many of whom are out in the open.

      I hope you're not trying to imply that fake news doesn't exist, anyone with eyes and a modest ability to think critically has seen blatantly false stories being passed off as gospel.

    9. Re: Well you could start by not falling for it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You stupid conservatives are out of touch with reality.

      FTFY?

      Pot, kettle, black. What did you hope to accomplish with your "out of touch" remark?

      I swear, it seems like Breitbart and Gingrich say jump, and you conservatives ask "how high?"

      Benghazi? Email server? Clinton Foundation? Whitewater?

      If I counter with Beirut, Pence's email, Trump's foundation, and Trump losing money on a casino (amongst everything else he's lost money on. Jesus, who loses money on a casino?) that's your cue to go batshit crazy. Do you really want to bring 94 year old George Schultz out of retirement and prosecute him too over something he's not actually responsible for?

      Drain the swamp? More like Trump just diverted the sewer into it. Hope you like the next four years. It's going to be a hell of a ride.

    10. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by msauve · · Score: 1

      So, fake news is itself fake news. News at 11!

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    11. Re: Well you could start by not falling for it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      " Jesus, who loses money on a casino?"

      look at all the closed and closing casinos in atlantic city before asking that question again. many casinos have lost money. when overhead is larger than income you lose money. basic economics dudebro

    12. Re: Well you could start by not falling for it by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      look at all the closed and closing casinos in atlantic city before asking that question again.

      What an unironic statement.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    13. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      A good one to start with, is where is the proof that Russia did any of this ?

      Russia have been pushing fake news for 50 years now. Where is the proof that they suddenly stopped?

      Just be concerned when Trump's enemies start dropping from indigestion problems.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    14. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      I hope you're not trying to imply that fake news doesn't exist, anyone with eyes and a modest ability to think critically has seen blatantly false stories being passed off as gospel.

      Its just deflection and misdirection. A time honored technique.

      "What about this Video of your candidate screwing a chicken?"

      "Well what about all of the persimmon workers who were cost their jobs by martians coming to earth for abortions?"

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    15. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But when hillary's enemies commit suicide by shooting themselves twice in the head, that's not suspicious at all right?

    16. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      And how do you know the Russians are involved? Because the first thing they do is try to point at the nearest Jew and blame him.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    17. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by sycodon · · Score: 1

      Wikileaks just outed the folks behind the Fake News bullshit.

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    18. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by Ryanrule · · Score: 1

      russia is doing this all over europe. they need to be smacked, hard.

    19. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by rholtzjr · · Score: 1

      I really do not think Soros is alone on this. WaPo (source of info for PropOrNot) is owned by who?

    20. Re:Well you could start by not falling for it by aicrules · · Score: 1

      I'm waiting eagerly for 11 to roll around. If this turns out to be more fake news instead of actual News I'm going to mod you down. Oh wait...crap.

  3. Go back to make it illegal. by Nyder · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In 2013 Obama signed a bill which part of allows the use of propaganda in the USA legal again (made illegal in 1947). Which is why we have so much fake news now, media sources aren't required to fact check since that would expose the government backed fake news.

    So how about we make this sort of shit illegal again?

    --
    Be seeing you...
    1. Re:Go back to make it illegal. by Nyder · · Score: 2
      --
      Be seeing you...
    2. Re:Go back to make it illegal. by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Modern art was CIA 'weapon' (22 October 1995)
      http://www.independent.co.uk/n...
      "... set up a division, the Propaganda Assets Inventory, which at its peak could influence more than 800 newspapers, magazines and public information organisations. "
      Its interesting reading about the past of many US projects with terms like:
      "Revealed: US spy operation that manipulates social media" (Friday 18 March 2011)
      https://www.theguardian.com/te...
      "... none of the interventions would be in English, as it would be unlawful to "address US audiences" with such technology"
      "The CIA and the media" gives some context to what the US was doing globally.
      http://carlbernstein.com/magaz...

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    3. Re:Go back to make it illegal. by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      In 2013 Obama signed a bill which part of allows the use of propaganda in the USA legal again (made illegal in 1947). Which is why we have so much fake news now, media sources aren't required to fact check since that would expose the government backed fake news.

      Not to mention it would cost money. That's why there's so much celebrity "news" in the news now, most of it is cheap fashion commentary or theories and supposition on their private lives (which can be as wild as they want, since it's not being reported as opinion).

    4. Re:Go back to make it illegal. by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      That's why there's so much celebrity "news" in the news now, most of it is cheap fashion commentary or theories and supposition on their private lives (which can be as wild as they want, since it's not being reported as opinion).

      Meh. It is being reported only as opinion/theory, I meant. Not as fact.

    5. Re:Go back to make it illegal. by organgtool · · Score: 4, Informative

      In 2013 Obama signed a bill

      If you want to attach name(s) to legislation please disclose all the names and parties of the people who proposed the legislation, the majority parties who passed it, and the name of the president that signed it. In this case, the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 was proposed by Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), and it passed a Republican majority in the House and Senate, and was finally signed by Obama (D). Disclosing this information gives people a fuller picture of who is to praise/blame, especially when both parties are responsible for its passage.

    6. Re:Go back to make it illegal. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      In the first place, the First Amendment clearly states that propaganda has always been legal in the US.

      In the second place, what the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act allows is for Americans to be allowed to see the propaganda that is disseminated by their tax dollars to foreigners, via VOA and other agencies. Previously that information was not available to them, unless of course they had an internet connection.

      The act you're complaining about doesn't do anything like what you think it does.

    7. Re:Go back to make it illegal. by geekmux · · Score: 1

      That's why there's so much celebrity "news" in the news now, most of it is cheap fashion commentary or theories and supposition on their private lives (which can be as wild as they want, since it's not being reported as opinion).

      Meh. It is being reported only as opinion/theory, I meant. Not as fact.

      When people are paid per click, they're going to propagate utter bullshit in whatever shape, form, or color pays them the most.

      That includes information well beyond opinion or theory, which is why we're having this discussion.

  4. You just know this will be partisan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am all for the dealing with the scourge of BS news, however I think this will be more of a purge fake news that doesn't further my own political agenda and bias kind of initiative.

  5. Make fake news punishable by death by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Problem solved. Every story will need to be fully cited.

    1. Re:Make fake news punishable by death by Hylandr · · Score: 1

      And checked by an editor. ffs they can't even be bothered to use spell check.

      --
      ~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
    2. Re:Make fake news punishable by death by arth1 · · Score: 1

      We can pretty much pin all this down on a single man: Rupert Murdoch. He's single-handedly responsible for cutting out real journalism, where there was fact and source checking, and a desk with editors empowered to send something back, and copyeditors making sure that what was said made sense. Instead a single person with desktop publishing was allowed to take on all the roles, with little or no verification. When he started doing this, others had no choice but to follow suit, due to the high costs of doing real journalism.

      Bring back the well-populated desk. When the mainstream news outlets start fact checking again, it doesn't matter what self-published fake news there is - it won't make it to mainstream news.

    3. Re:Make fake news punishable by death by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      how do you kill a corporation?

    4. Re:Make fake news punishable by death by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ahh...now the agenda of the "fake news" people is apparent. Rupert Murdoch and Fox are the target. Of course it was all Rupert Murdoch, the Daily Kos and HuffPo are so much better sourced and researched /sarcasm.

    5. Re:Make fake news punishable by death by Hylandr · · Score: 1

      He's put together an argument that is much more sound than your dismissal as a conspiracy theory masqueraded as sarcasm.

      Do you have any credible hypothesis to the contrary of his suggestion?

      --
      ~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
  6. Would This System Flag... by BlueStrat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Would this system flag fake news like the Michael Brown "Hands up, don't shoot" fake news that falsely claimed he had his hands up and was not charging at the police officer after already attacking him and attempting to take the officer's sidearm?

    I have doubts that such a system will flag false/fake stories that nevertheless fit certain agendas and narratives.

    I believe there's a lot of fake news about "fake news" in order to lay the groundwork for "officially-sanctioned news and facts" a la "MiniTruth", and systematic suppression of independent news sources that don't fit certain narratives and agendas. I think HRC's election loss and all the independent news sources that published/posted/outed inconvenient facts about her has scared TPTB, and they are now attempting to marginalize, discredit, and destroy those who publicize that which they prefer be kept from the public.

    Strat

    --
    Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
    1. Re:Would This System Flag... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The system doesn't have to be perfect or handle difficult cases that it took the State Department months to get to the bottom of. It just has to flag up the really obvious click-bait that drives guys like our own Masahiki into a little fantasy world of hatred and anger. Just flag the easily debunked stories, like the pizza place paedophile ring nonsense.

      Of course it won't work for everyone, the alt-right will just reject it as leftist propaganda without actually checking the sources cited. It doesn't really matter though, it only has to work on enough people to stop the stories getting millions of likes on Facebook to be useful and effective.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:Would This System Flag... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eli Pariser is one of the bigshots at Avaaz (formerly MoveOn.org), the group that Hillary used to ship weapons to al-Qaeda in Libya so that there wouldn't be a CIA footprint on the operation.

      All of this talk about "fake news" is about controlling information, having the government decide what is truth or not, and using the power of government to ban "fake" information.

    3. Re:Would This System Flag... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Eli Pariser is one of the bigshots at Avaaz (formerly MoveOn.org), the group that Hillary used to ship weapons to al-Qaeda in Libya so that there wouldn't be a CIA footprint on the operation.

      LOLWHUT?!

      Dude, there is some serious shit in your tap water. Buy a filter.

    4. Re:Would This System Flag... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Would this system have stopped the numerous articles which used a picture of Trayvon Martin when he was 12 years old, instead of when he was 17, the age when he was killed?

      https://www.mrconservative.com/2013/07/21719-10-photos-that-show-the-real-trayvon-martin/

    5. Re:Would This System Flag... by ranton · · Score: 1

      Would this system flag fake news like the Michael Brown "Hands up, don't shoot" fake news that falsely claimed he had his hands up and was not charging at the police officer after already attacking him and attempting to take the officer's sidearm?

      Hopefully yes it would. Ideally such a system would not only focus on the vast majority of fake news pushing a conservative agenda, but also the fake news pushing a liberal one.

      It isn't like liberal partisans aren't as willing as conservative ones to use propaganda, it just doesn't work as well for them. Even the fake news networks admit fake news just doesn't work on liberals very well. As the owner of one of these fake news sites stated:

      We've tried to do similar things to liberals. It just has never worked, it never takes off. You'll get debunked within the first two comments and then the whole thing just kind of fizzles out.

      --
      -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
    6. Re:Would This System Flag... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the left will overwhelm the checking and block true right-leaning news as fake. To this I know not the solution.

    7. Re: Would This System Flag... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Would this system flag fake news like the Michael Brown "Hands up, don't shoot" fake news that falsely claimed he had his hands up and was not charging at the police officer after already attacking him and attempting to take the officer's sidearm?

      Do you think they'd report the fake news that claimed Wilson was severely injured in the alleged struggle? Do you think they'd report how the Ferguson PD lied about how Wilson knew about a robbery? Do you think they'd report the conclusion by the Department of Justice that the Ferguson PD was full of bigotry and malfeasance? That latter is the real issue, not your posturing over a non-indictment. Funny how you never mention that Wilson was not indicted. The system already worked to protect him.

      It's also funny how your aggrievement is so one-sided, you're only concerned that what offends you is exposed, yet your complaint is about bias. If you want to argue for that, you'll need to do a better job yourself rather than consistently push the same narrative.

      Start calling some other lies, at least. It'll make you look less partisan.

      Heck, just name one police lie. Just one time. Or one Trump lie. Complain bot the death of Tamir Rice. Castillo. Garner. Gurley. Donner.

      No wait, wait, you'll complain about a time when a false story got debunked in a city that still suffered from racism and bigotry.

      Why? Why?

    8. Re:Would This System Flag... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even the fake news networks admit fake news just doesn't work on liberals very well. As the owner of one of these fake news sites stated:

      We've tried to do similar things to liberals. It just has never worked, it never takes off. You'll get debunked within the first two comments and then the whole thing just kind of fizzles out.

      So a you believe self-admitted liar and fraudster Democrat when he tells you that Democrats are just too smart to fall for his tricks, but Republicans are too stupid.

      Right. By the way, did you know the word gullible isn't in the dictionary?

    9. Re:Would This System Flag... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, you mean if you do not know that about pariser and avaaz, then it is "false news"? And something is in the tap water? Dream on, troll

    10. Re:Would This System Flag... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pizzagate has not been debunked. Not even close.

    11. Re:Would This System Flag... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is exactly why this is a stupid idea. There is only one way this can go. The same way the "fact check" sites have gone.... bent for political purposes.

      Heck, that was the entire reason "factcheck.org" was created. To further progressive political goals by "fact checking" those who opposed progressives.

      And here come the same group of folks proposing to solve the problem of "fake news". But we don't think they'll use it to silence political opponents? This team has been on the "silence dissent" train for many decades. They've been livid that people like Rush Limbaugh have a voice on AM radio and have repeatedly proposed reviving the "fairness doctrine" to ensure that such voices are muted. They even resorted to funding a national radio network in order to counter-program.... but it failed miserably because people don't want to listen to their propaganda. They want to be entertained. (and true-believer wonky nutcases are rarely entertaining.)

      This is simply a continuation of the same phenomenon. It is even the same folks (i.e. Soros et. al.)

      Do not be fooled by the fact that they have come up with a label to slap on their political enemies (fake news). This is also their standard M.O. They always attempt to delegitimize their opponents as somehow evil and then silence them. This go-around is no different. Calling things "fake news" and then getting their friends in the Tech industry to purge them is just a new spin.

  7. Does the net need more teams of SJW? by AHuxley · · Score: 2

    The internet is about finding news, sites, forums, chats, people, fun, enjoying social media or adding a comment.
    If a user does not like a site, don't use it, dont return to it. Making it not easy to search for results or delisting terms won't change reality.
    If the site is in the USA, having freedom of speech is protected. Having freedom after speech is protected from gov staff.
    Freedom from a gov or mil, a political party or theocracy or cult is what sets the USA apart from the rest of the world.
    If a company does or does not want to host material, find results or comments, thats ok too.
    Just make it clear that your products or services are not going to get good results as teams have restricted all expected functionality.
    Users then have the freedom to start their own sites or select from much better competing services that have embraced freedom.
    Freedom does not go away after one company bans it. Freedom and fun then moves to better sites who support free speech.
    If a brand wants to support SJW, governments, theocracies, cults, contractors and be a huge safe space thats their option.
    In a free market of ideas and so many other great brands supporting freedom of speech to become a very boring brand is not really the best marketing position.
    Censorship as branding might be great for some faiths or nations but freedom sells globally.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    1. Re:Does the net need more teams of SJW? by Freischutz · · Score: 1

      The internet is about finding news, sites, forums, chats, people, fun, enjoying social media or adding a comment. If a user does not like a site, don't use it, dont return to it. Making it not easy to search for results or delisting terms won't change reality. If the site is in the USA, having freedom of speech is protected. Having freedom after speech is protected from gov staff. Freedom from a gov or mil, a political party or theocracy or cult is what sets the USA apart from the rest of the world. If a company does or does not want to host material, find results or comments, thats ok too. Just make it clear that your products or services are not going to get good results as teams have restricted all expected functionality. Users then have the freedom to start their own sites or select from much better competing services that have embraced freedom. Freedom does not go away after one company bans it. Freedom and fun then moves to better sites who support free speech. If a brand wants to support SJW, governments, theocracies, cults, contractors and be a huge safe space thats their option. In a free market of ideas and so many other great brands supporting freedom of speech to become a very boring brand is not really the best marketing position. Censorship as branding might be great for some faiths or nations but freedom sells globally.

      *Sigh* ... No, the internet is for porn!

  8. Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Fake news is a distraction. Trump lost the vote, democracy requires the winner get more votes, that was not Trump.

    Now you can say, 'well he won the electoral college vote', but *that* vote has not happened yet. And Bush and Obama ethics lawyers have both, united, reminded the electoral college of the constitution. He cannot be President and continue to run businesses that's illegal. If he tries again to appoint his family to run America that too is illegal.

    The states need to recount, Putin's hackers hacked the electoral roles of several states and that was done for a purpose. You can't register the vote using that data, but you can fake an absentee ballot vote. So all the states with suddenly large numbers of absentee ballots cast need to be re-examined.

    Trump lost, get over it Putin.

    1. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Raenex · · Score: 2

      Are they still paying you to "Correct the Record"?

    2. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by popo · · Score: 3, Informative

      What? Someone apparently needs a civics lesson. That's not how our democracy works. We have a "democratic republic". What you're referring to is a "direct democracy", which we don't have (for good reason).

      As a test though, I suggest you take a vote and ask how many Americans want free housing, free food, free education and free Netflix. Then come back to me and tell me how well your juvenile "Winner takes all" voting is working out.

      --
      ------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
    3. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eliminate the millions of votes from illegals that should never count and all the dead people's votes that all voted democrat and I'm sure you will find Trump wins the popular vote by a huge margin as well. Stop being so undemocratic and stop interfering with the peaceful transition of power.

    4. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Kierthos · · Score: 1

      So, of course, you have proof of millions of votes coming from illegal/undocumented aliens? And, of course, you have proof of dead people voting in substantial enough numbers to make a difference?

      --
      Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
    5. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      [Citation needed]

      But seriously, these claims about dead people voting have been debunked to death, fake news stories on your favorite neo-nazi website notwithstanding.

      It amazes me how people are so convinced that the democrats were trying to rig the election. If they were, in fact, trying to rig the election, they would have been much more confident in the election. So confident that they might even claim that the only way they could lose is if the Trump campaign themselves cheated even more successfully. Hillary would have refused to accept the election results if she lost, knowing that such a loss was impossible unless her opponent was also cheating. There would be discrepancies, e.g., higher victory margins for Hillary in precincts with electronic voting, an unusually high number of absentee ballots cast for Hillary, etc. Since none of these things happened, suggesting that may have Hillary cheated seems... we,, fucking stupid.

    6. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by rholtzjr · · Score: 1

      Really????? A +4 Interesting on an AC post???? Quit moderating and posting as AC at the same time.

    7. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by DatbeDank · · Score: 1

      America isn't a direct democracy and never was. It's a constitutional republic. You vote to tell your electoral college member how to place their vote (yes there have been faithless electors, but it has been rare).

      If those extra "Hillary" votes happened to appear in a place where an elector was republican and swap the vote, then the extra votes would matter.

      If you look at the voting by counties, the majority of those extra votes came in from Los Angeles and New York City. who had already been allocated to Hillary.

    8. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Fake news" makes it sound like MSM is all "not fake" news, as if the truthfulness of news is a black and white issue. If you removed all news that bent/broke the truth there wouldn't be a lot left, I think.

    9. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We have a "democratic republic".

      i wish! what we have currently doesn't even remotely resemble what this country's founders envisioned or intended.

    10. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      The dead certainly vote. Here's a list of 438 voter fraud convictions that is just a small list of the total number of voter fraud cases over the last few elections. It's a real issue. Why don't we do what Canada and Mexico do - require photo ID to vote?

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    11. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by ColdWetDog · · Score: 0, Troll

      We have a "democratic republic".

      i wish! what we have currently doesn't even remotely resemble what this country's founders envisioned or intended.

      Like slavery and women-as-chattel.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    12. Re: Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Trump and Clinton campaigned and strategized to win the electoral college, not the popular vote. It's meaningless. Both candidates campaigned to win the electoral college. If the rules stated that they needed to win the popular vote, they would have used different tactics and spent much less time in swing states. It's not proper to say Hillary would have won if the popular vote was the decider. Nobody could claim that without going back in time, changing the rules, and letting it all play out.

    13. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now that we got him elected we need to "Correct Trump's Record" to keep him there.

    14. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fake news is a distraction. Trump lost the vote, democracy requires the winner get more votes, that was not Trump..

      Well, except that the winner in each state is the one that gets the most votes in that state. If the election were held on an overall popular vote the campaigning would be quite different so discussing who won the overall popular vote is irrelevant.

    15. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why don't we do what Canada and Mexico do - require photo ID to vote?

      Because all of the systems in the US involving asking for ID are carefully designed to stop certain demographics from voting. If the requirement for ID were such that the ID were free and it was easy to acquire at a voting station with the time taken to verify the voter, then, maybe the law could be setup such that it didn't look like pure voter suppression. But as long as election law is a partisan effort and the US is locked into its currently two-party system, you're not going to see election laws that actually improve the reliability of elections. Naturally, whichever party won the election is going to be pretty happy with the way the election was run.

    16. Re: Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The dead certainly vote. Here's a list of 438 voter fraud convictions that is just a small list of the total number of voter fraud cases over the last few elections. It's a real issue.

      Your burden was to show millions. You didn't. And how many of your convictions were electoral fraud instead?

      Voter ID does nothing about those.

      What is a proven fact is that 40% of voters didn't vote. That is a real issue.

      Why don't we do what Canada and Mexico do - require photo ID to vote?

      Why don't we require the state to issue ID to all persons?

    17. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      What State does not offer free ID for those who cannot afford it? In California and Washington (the two States I've lived in) there are free IDs for the poor. What State does not offer such thing?

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    18. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why don't we do what Canada and Mexico do - require photo ID to vote?

      Because all of the systems in the US involving asking for ID are carefully designed to stop certain demographics from voting. If the requirement for ID were such that the ID were free and it was easy to acquire at a voting station with the time taken to verify the voter, then, maybe the law could be setup such that it didn't look like pure voter suppression. But as long as election law is a partisan effort and the US is locked into its currently two-party system, you're not going to see election laws that actually improve the reliability of elections. Naturally, whichever party won the election is going to be pretty happy with the way the election was run.

      I call BS. What demographic is targeted to keep from voting? People without IDs that match the voter roles? Who's that? People who have no interest in driving, buying a beer or pack of cigarettes, or cashing a check? Are you going to argue poor people, who also never get payday loans or government assistance? Because all those things need government photo-ID. States give out basic ID cards for FREE. They are easy and cheap (or free) to acquire.

    19. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're right in your response to his first statement, and completely ignored the others.

      Now you can say, 'well he won the electoral college vote', but *that* vote has not happened yet. And Bush and Obama ethics lawyers have both, united, reminded the electoral college of the constitution. He cannot be President and continue to run businesses that's illegal. If he tries again to appoint his family to run America that too is illegal.

      What do you say to this?

    20. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by rmckeethen · · Score: 2

      You didn't actually read through any of the data on those sites you linked to, huh? If you had, you might have discovered:

      1. The voting dead turn-out to be just three individuals in Colorado, one of which administrators at the Secretary of State's office admit may have been due to a mistake by an election judge.
      2. The list of 438 voter fraud convictions is across all 50 states, and some of those convictions go back to at least 1982. However, it does include Republican Charlie White, the former Indiana Secretary of State, who was convicted of voter fraud, -- among other crimes -- back in 2012.

      Overall, the data you've cited actually supports what most experts are saying regarding voter fraud; not that voter fraud doesn't ever happen, but that it happens so infrequently that it's not affecting the results of elections.

      Of course, if you look at the statistics behind recent voter ID laws, you'll see that these laws are aimed squarely at black voters, in an attempt to suppress the black voter in favor of white voters, who are more likely to vote Republican.

    21. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Voter fraud is rarely investigated.

      Why?

      Well, who is going to investigate? The winner is likely to be the one who benefited. So where are the incentives? Even when it is well documented, there are often strong pressures to keep things under wraps.

      In the late 90's there was election night reporting in Atlanta about voting irregularities involving a prominent Democrat. They had video of a couple of bus loads of people going from precinct to precinct and entering the polling place. Reports were that they were repeatedly voting.

      The same group arrived at the final polling place just after it closed. The Democrat poll watcher along with people from the campaign of the Democrat actually locked the Republican poll watcher in a closet for about 15-20 minutes. This was all covered on TV as it happened. Within 24 hours there was no further coverage. Nobody looked into the events. There was no investigation. The papers dropped it. The TV stations dropped it. Only a couple of Talk Radio Cranks ever mentioned it again. They didn't even bother to say they investigated it and found no evidence.

      This is the norm in these situations. Even with really contentious elections like Al Franken's first election to the Senate, where votes magically appeared after a recount - including some precincts where he got more than 100 percent of registered voters - everything gets squashed once the outcome is certain.

      If people are crying about "proving who you are is racist against black people" in order to preserve their right to commit voter fraud, shouldn't you wonder why they are so concerned about it? In my state, I had to produce an ID at the polling place. It isn't a state law. But my elected (black) supervisor of elections required the (black) poll-workers to ask for ID. She clearly didn't think it was racist for a black lady to ask a white man for an ID in order to ensure that the same person who was registered was the one voting.

      Ever stop to consider why it might be so difficult to convict someone of voter fraud? How exactly would you do that? Particularly with the big push for early voting and absentee ballots that so obviously benefits machine politics.... how in the world would you prove that "Nancy Webber" who voted a straight republican ticket on her absentee ballot was actually John Williams, a noted Republican operative? Absent video monitoring, ID checking and breaking the secret ballot, how would you prove that John Williams voted in other people's names at the local precincts?

      These cases would be almost impossible to prove, absent a confession from an insider.

      So no, your confidence is not well placed. And your partisan blinders appear to be firmly in place.

    22. Re:Fake news, is a distraction, Trump lost by doom · · Score: 1

      America isn't a direct democracy and never was. It's a constitutional republic. You vote to tell your electoral college member how to place their vote (yes there have been faithless electors, but it has been rare).

      Rare, but nevertheless allowed, and built-in to the system for a reason (and I keep wondering who invented that phrase "faithless"...).

      Once again, if you guys want to change the system, feel free to try for that, but quit pretending the system is something different than it is.

  9. This isn't any better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Having groupthink decide what is true isn't any more helpful.

  10. Two Types Of Propaganda by rtb61 · · Score: 2

    The interesting thing about all this fake news and propaganda, is there are actually two distinct types of propaganda. The first everyone knows about and that is the stuff propagandists target at majority, the regular marketing lies told for what ever purpose. The second kind of propaganda is entirely different, now that propaganda is actually targeted at the propagandists.

    Propagandists are bound to react to what the perceive as their target audience reactions and especially careful to protect their lies whilst hiding the truth. This makes them very reactive, they are forced to listen in case they are being exposed, or they are not selling their lies. There are really powerful emotions at play, greed, fear of being exposed for the crimes, fear of no longer being able to hide who they really, with very serious consequences, not only losing the proceeds of their crime but extended custodial sentences. This makes them very vulnerable to propaganda targeted at them, they must react or fail and suffer severe penalties.

    The reactive nature allows them to be manipulated into over reacting or reacting in the wrong manner and traps them into doing things like pushing into more and more extreme propaganda which becomes harder and harder to sell or propaganda that undermines their own propaganda or even propaganda that foolishly exposes more secrets than it should.

    Fix fake news, I would say break up the big main stream media organisation but if hardly seems worth the effort any more, they have already been tricked into destroying themselves by over reacting and whoops they can't take it back now, just going to dig themselves deeper and deeper. Simply legislate 'News' as a licensed profession and those practising are bound by the truth, fail to prove the truth they claim in court, then they do the prison time. Now if you want to tell stories and do no claim to be a licensed news practitioner, then not a problem, do want you want as long as it is within the regular laws. Once you claim to be a licensed news professional than you expose yourself to criminal penalties for lying (this is something that main stream media organisations will oppose maybe 80% of the market, about 20% will support it because they report the truth and the News licence and there honour and integrity would see them with a worth while professions).

    --
    Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    1. Re:Two Types Of Propaganda by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which part of

      Congress shall make no law [...] abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;

      do you interpret as allowing for Congress to jail people for publishing material that they don't like?

    2. Re:Two Types Of Propaganda by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously.

      Tech people are notoriously susceptible to this sort of thinking though. We tend to believe in straightforward logical thinking.

      i.e. "if you commit fraud in the news, we'll just sue and that'll stop it."

      Never stopping to think that once such a powerful tool exists, it will be used primarily to silence the critics of those who wield the power.

    3. Re:Two Types Of Propaganda by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Vice News just had a phone interview with a "lone gunman" making all his fake news as clickbait to earn himself a living - saying he thought it was absurd that Trump's people (Trumpettes?) would believe any of it - including professional protestors - he'd created a craigslist ad for same before releasing his story to social media. Also said that facebook and Google's lists of fake new sites only list 1 of his 8 URLs.

  11. Will they separate fakes from just non-approved? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    So, will these methods also separate "fake news" from "not approved by globalist leftist agenda" news, or will it label both as fake?

    Will they label "fake news" from "reputable sources" or do those automatically get a pass?

    It used to be that you could trust news based on their source, but these days mainstream media is so hilariously biased and spreading outright fake stuff that drives the globalist agenda, it is impossible to tell just based on the source any more.

  12. This is based on the assumption by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Any of our news is trustworthy...

  13. Tech won't fix society by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Fake news" is a social problem. And social problems, generally speaking, don't have technological solutions.

    For example, all these suggestions for better and smarter algorithms to detect fake news. But why? It's not like fake news are hard to tell apart in general. Filter out anything that uses ALL CAPS anywhere in the title (acronyms excepted), and you've already solved 90% of the problem. And there are numerous guides already on the Internet that go over all these basics... the problem is that people who do read and spread those fake news don't believe that they're fake. And just because it's an algorithm in their browser or Facebook telling them that it's fake, they're not going to suddenly start believing it, regardless of how perfect it is. They'll just say, "Whoever implemented this is biased, and they're just trying to censor my trusted sources - fuck them", disable or ignore the feature (or switch to a product that doesn't have it - and there will be one if this becomes a thing; free market will always fill a niche), and move on.

    So the real problem is, "How do you convince most people who currently believe that those news are real, that they're actually fake." And that is entirely a social problem, which tech cannot and will not solve.

    1. Re:Tech won't fix society by Place+a+name+here · · Score: 1

      "Fake news" is a social problem. And social problems, generally speaking, don't have technological solutions.

      To some extent, yes. But every system that includes people has a dynamic, and the dynamic depends both on the people and the rules of the system. For instance, the way social media suggests friends' likes to you makes it easier to disappear into an opinion bubble, shielded from other points of view, because presumably your friends have similar opinions. If the suggestion algorithm instead was tweaked to suggest things more broadly, then it would at least slow the positive feedback loop.

      However, this will degrade the users' short term experience and in a way constitutes an externality. So there's no wonder why social media did go for the most instantly gratifying solution; but in doing so, they made the problem worse.

    2. Re:Tech won't fix society by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the solution to 'fake news' is simple... messy, but simple:

      firing squad for those responsible (writers, publishers, promoters, shills, etc), and public lynchings of those who fall for them.

    3. Re:Tech won't fix society by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The social problem is largely that people are perfectly willing to accept unverified news as truth, so long as it's interesting or confirms their biases.
      The National Enquirer, Weekly World News, et al have been publishing fake news for decades, sitting right at the checkout of your favorite supermarket. This source of fake news has never been a particular problem as the few people who believe it's true are easily dismissed.
      Now though, we have many sources of "fake news", and they're all competing for eyeballs. So long as large numbers of eyeballs are willing to accept unverified stories as true, sources will continue to peddle news first with verification and correction coming later, if at all.
      The solution, such as it is, is for people to stop accepting "fake news" as truth. The market can correct itself if people are willing to ditch unreliable sources. We're still stuck in the early stages of dealing with this crap though, where there's no incentive for sources to fact-check. Give it time, and unreliable news sources will be relegated to the place of newsstand trash - entertainment, not information.

    4. Re:Tech won't fix society by hackertourist · · Score: 1

      The problem is not those instances where fake news is easy to detect. "aliens are controlling your minds", well duh.
      It's about those instances where the fake news is plausible. Like the claims that Russia carried out the DNC hack. I've read so many claims and counterclaims that I don't know what's what anymore, and given the discussions here on /., neither do many others.

    5. Re:Tech won't fix society by hackertourist · · Score: 1

      hit 'Submit' too soon.

      Also those instances where real news is claimed by people to be fake because they don't like what it says .

    6. Re:Tech won't fix society by david_bonn · · Score: 1

      So the real problem is, "How do you convince most people who currently believe that those news are real, that they're actually fake." And that is entirely a social problem, which tech cannot and will not solve.

      The very long-term solution is to educate the citizens of the Republic in the skill of thinking critically.

      I absolutely agree that we are dealing with a social problem, not a technological one. And one that isn't really amenable to a quick technical fix.

      It is easy to distinguish "fake" news, propaganda, and out-and-out bullshit if you don't have a dog in the fight. Go watch "Reefer Madness" for one hilarious example. Old WWII newsreels seem similarly mawkish today. And reading *Tass* articles from the 70's and 80's is also instructive. If you watch/read enough of those you can develop a mental model of what bullshit smells like.

      My own personal rule of thumb is that I become suspicious of any news that agrees too much with how I view the world.

    7. Re:Tech won't fix society by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      The problem are all instances that people believe in.

      And vast majority of them are only slightly more plausible than "aliens are controlling your minds". It's stuff like "Obama is secretly a Muslim who's plotting to have US occupied by UN". And I personally know some people who genuinely believe this, and will happily reshare any news from e.g. InfoWars that will support and reinforce that belief.

    8. Re:Tech won't fix society by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Please. Putin already pinky swore that Russia did not hack the DNC. So did Sergei Markov.
      https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/09/putin-applauds-trump-win-and-hails-new-era-of-positive-ties-with-us

      He [Sergei Markov] denied allegations of Russian interference in the election, but said “maybe we helped a bit with WikiLeaks.”

      Who is Sergei Markov?
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Alexandrovich_Markov

      He is also a Deputy Chairman of the Russian Public Forum on International Affairs. Markov serves as co-Chairman of the National Strategic Council of Russia and is a member of the Presidential Council for Facilitating the Development of Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights of the Russian Federation.

    9. Re:Tech won't fix society by geekmux · · Score: 1

      "Fake news" is a social problem. And social problems, generally speaking, don't have technological solutions.

      For example, all these suggestions for better and smarter algorithms to detect fake news. But why? It's not like fake news are hard to tell apart in general. Filter out anything that uses ALL CAPS anywhere in the title (acronyms excepted), and you've already solved 90% of the problem...

      HOW IRONIC that you've proposed a technical solution for a social problem.

      ...So the real problem is, "How do you convince most people who currently believe that those news are real, that they're actually fake." And that is entirely a social problem, which tech cannot and will not solve.

      Perhaps we can start by making any news published by any social media illegal.. That would likely solve 90% of the problem as well, since we've obviously found the sinkhole of stupidity in society. When zooming out the lens, you tend to find the social things that have changed in the last few decades that help perpetuate ignorance today.

    10. Re:Tech won't fix society by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The very long-term solution is to educate the citizens of the Republic in the skill of thinking critically.

      I absolutely agree that we are dealing with a social problem, not a technological one.

      This is a great take. And one that I fully support. Everyone should be able to think critically and examine their own biases.

      Except, who is going to do the educating? Are we going to have the state teaching everyone how to think critically? Are we to trust that they are acting with pure motives going forward?

      The problem with concentrating such powers in the hands of government is that eventually people will figure out that such power is available to be taken. And they will take it and use it.

      So this is my cautionary tale - even noted skeptics are susceptible to groupthink and team politics. It is wired into our brains to think this way. Any power that exists over people will be a temptation to those who would be kings.

      Look at this "fake news" discussion. There is a power in social media sites right now. Places like Facebook and Google and Instagram are suddenly being targeted to control what kind of speech is allowed to be prominent. Whether you are of the left, right or indifferent, someone trying to control what is said in the public square should be worrying. (in this case it is a digital public square, but the threat is no less important).

      Freedom of speech is the sacred cornerstone of Democracy. Without it there can be no self-rule.

      Protect it with all of your might. It is the only thing that keeps your political enemies in check. If you believe that it is only the other guys who will be targeted for silence (because they are the ones who are the liars) - I'll remind you that Trump just got his hands on all that executive power that Obama has been concentrating over the last 8 years. It could happen to any group who thinks they'll set up a power-base to control discourse in the country. If it truly becomes a powerful and effective censor, those in power will definitely fight to control it.

    11. Re:Tech won't fix society by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      HOW IRONIC that you've proposed a technical solution for a social problem.

      No, I didn't. The solution that I proposed is to the problem of determining fake news from real news - that is a technical problem. The social problem is different - how to make people believe and/or care that fake news are fake.

    12. Re:Tech won't fix society by rewardian · · Score: 1

      We are all subject to the media environment (much like you describe) which is largely technological. I'm not saying their aren't culturally-related solutions to this "problem", but technological ones may even be the quickest. No matter the minority that still uses RSS and the web outside walled gardens, and will receive their desired "news" however they damn well please, how Facebook et al. display news posts, from friends and friends-of-friends, isn't nothing. Also, discouraging technological solutions doesn't seem to be productive. e.g. I just thought of a bot that scans white supremacist and alt-right sites, running each paragraph through fact checking algorithms, and replying in comments sections with fairly approachable rescinders. Knee-jerk, obvious, sorta dumb. Would it be effective? I doubt it--down-voted and ad hominemed to all hell, but there are more nuanced versions of that idea and I think even that implementation could have value; social problems may have a variety of effective solutions, even technological.

    13. Re:Tech won't fix society by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      It all has value, absolutely! The problem is presenting it as "solution to fake news". This is setting the expectations way too high, and is an impossible bar to reach through that approach.

      With respect to media environment being technological - it's true, but cultural effects still dominate. If Facebook, for example, added some kind of "fake news" indicator on stories, would it help? Probably not - people who read and reshare them will just ignore it, and would describe it as some kind of nefarious attempt by "Silicon Valley liberals" to push their world view on them. Eventually, someone would make browser extensions that would disable it completely, and people would install that.

      Suppose FB just starts censoring such stories outright? Then they'd simply be shared somewhere else, on a (possibly new) social network created to cater to this freshly alienated by huge market. I would imagine that the guys running Breitbart would just love to give it a go.

      Obviously, there are certain social effects - networking etc - that make existing platforms entrenched, and provide barriers to entry for new competitors. But the barriers are not insurmountable, and said social effects can be negated by sufficient amount of inconvenience caused by staying. I assert that any technical solution that is strong enough to actually solve this problem would constitute such sufficient amount of inconvenience.

  14. Sounds familiar? by guestapoo · · Score: 1
    2013 - Head of Xinhua says Western media pushing revolution in China

    Western media organizations are trying to demonize China and promote revolution and national disintegration as they hate seeing the country prosper...
    ...reminding state media of its responsibility to promote a "correct political direction"
    China also needed to combat the distorted view the Western media...
    Li called on mainstream Chinese media to refute "untruthful reports"...

    July 5, 2016 - ‘Fake’ News From Social Media Now Banned in China

    The use of social media as a source of news has become a fixture in the United States—scrolling Twitter feeds appear next to news anchors, and tips from Facebook regularly result in television coverage. But not in China.
    The Chinese Communist Party has recently created a new regulation that describes information from social media as “fake news” and “rumors,” effectively banning its use as a source of information, lest serious consequences follow.

    Jul 4, 2016 - China To Crack Down On Fake News From Social Media Amid Rumor-Mongering

    1. Re:Sounds familiar? by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Will the SJW in the west try a ranking system within their own brand?
      China 'social credit': Beijing sets up huge system (26 October 2015)
      http://www.bbc.com/news/world-...
      If a SJW does not like a site and they delist it could they get some reward points?
      The more sites they report and ban the more glorious and exclusive the company rewards for heroic efforts?
      Some sort of GUI to track their reward points?

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  15. Crisis by Dunbal · · Score: 1

    The fact that "fake news" is such an issue this week is - fake news.

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    1. Re:Crisis by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Part of the problem with fake news is that half of the population, such as yourself, seems to have forgotten what "fake" means. Here's a tip: it doesn't mean "anything I think shouldn't be in the news" or "anything that makes my tribe look bad" or "something that challenges opinions which I have an unreasonably strong emotional attachment to". It means fake, as in not real, you know fake.

      The election was rife with fake news, that is lies masquerading as news stories.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    2. Re:Crisis by Dunbal · · Score: 1

      It means fake, as in not real, you know fake.

      Exactly. Like when someone is pushing an agenda across multiple "news" sites. Like the sudden outbreak of stories about "fake news" stories.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    3. Re:Crisis by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Are you claiming that there were not in fact quite a large number widely shared stories masquerading as news?

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    4. Re:Crisis by Dunbal · · Score: 1

      Are you claiming that multiple news sites decide to report on it this week out of sheer coincidence? I'll bet you think the Facebook movie came out just a few months before the Facebook IPO by sheer luck, too.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    5. Re:Crisis by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Answer the question ans stop weaselling. Are you claiming that there was not a glut of stories masquerading as news?

      Are you claiming that multiple news sites decide to report on it this week out of sheer coincidence?

      You know I've re-read my dictionary twice now[*] and I'm failing to see how that has any bearing on the word "fake". Fake does not mean "something that you personally don't like" or "something happening in a way that you personally don't like".

      It doesn't matter if there has been collusion up to the eyeballs if the glut of misleading stories masquerading as news actually happened then it is news that it happened whether or not you happen to approve. If it is actual news then it is by definition, not fake.

      [*]Not really.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    6. Re:Crisis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you claiming that multiple news sites decide to report on it this week out of sheer coincidence?.

      This is really important. And people have partisan blinders on so they refuse to see it.

      I'll take you back a few years so you can have a little perspective. Back in the 2004 presidential election, war hero John Kerry sought to make an issue of George Bush's lack of service in the war. It ended up with Dan Rather getting caught up in a forgery scandal that ruined his reputation and killed the story.

      But that revelation also killed the bigger story. 2 weeks before the Rather story, Matt Drudge reported that the Kerry campaign was going to have a major push on Bush's war record. The Kerry campaign was going to run advertisements all week about it. And all of the major news outlets were going to do stories about it the same week. They divided up the stories, with each outlet having a different story each night for a week. CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS and CNN were all named as being a part of this collusion.

      Fast forward to this year's Wikileaks releases of Podesta's email, and we see that there is still major collusion between the networks and political campaigns.

      Even outside of elections, they are willing propaganda machines. Ever notice that your network news anchor will tell you that the White House is focusing on poverty in the inner city this week - and then they run reports about poverty in the inner city all week? They are on the federal government team. They don't even bother to be subtle about it half the time. When Bush was pushing for war in Iraq, they were on board, running stories uncritically that were in service of the Bush agenda. So it doesn't just work as a "defeat the evil Republicans" weapon. This sort of collusion can be wielded by either party when they are in power. And it can even end up with people being killed halfway around the world.

      Remember how urgent it was that we intervene in Libya? Remember how many news stories were being run about the dire plight of the poor people under the boot of a dictator, fighting for independence?

      It is amazing how powerful partisan blinders are. If Obama could wield the national media to generate support for an undeclared war in the middle east just a couple of years after the left was marching to slogans opposing exactly that one specific thing, how susceptible are you to being manipulated? If "Fake News" makes you say "hell yeah!", do you stop to wonder why? Would you have the same reaction if Trump were claiming that the media was out to get him and pushing a false narrative? Would you decry those who would dare to slander his good name? No? Then you are being played by the "it is our team that is being harmed by fake news" hook. It is the "team" that has you hooked, not the "fake news".

  16. Reminds me of 1984 Ministry of Truth by Idisagree · · Score: 2

    The thought police from 1984 called, they want their ideas back!

    1. Re:Reminds me of 1984 Ministry of Truth by AHuxley · · Score: 2

      A SJW totally removes a site from their brands search results.
      Then contacts other SJW teams at a few archive sites to remove any other versions that might have been kept over the years.
      Then alters the search position of any site that linked to the now delisted site.
      Got to make sure the memory hole https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... is proactive for any linked sites. What about .edu sites that used the site in publications?
      What if the site is mentioned in an academic setting or quoted in parts? A search might still find some trace that site.
      Contact SJW teams on campus to correct the digital results.
      A printed version might still quote from the site... have physical texts quoting the site that can no longer be found removed from the library or department.
      With digital access to a few key search sites and archives a SJW team could really make the internet into a huge safe space.
      Then work to remove the sites that linked to the original site or within that site.
      Warn authors and publishers never to mention the site or get removed and banned as an author and publisher.
      A search engine that has vast numbers of SJW staff removing sites, books, authors, publishers vs their own teams trying to search the web?
      How long will it take for a real search engine brand that actually finds all results on the net to start trending?
      How to brand a safe space search engine with no ability to search the net?

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  17. What is truth, what is fact, and when? by ray-auch · · Score: 2

    One problem is that much that is disputed is also time-sensitive, what is "fact" changes over time, sometimes because more "facts" become known, sometimes because they turn out to be false. You can try and check that something was factual _when_ it was published, but on the web publications can be trivially updated.

    Take this: https://www.facebook.com/thein...

    Lovely video on fact-checking, except that it doesn't fact-check itself, the google search shown in the video turns up loads of results that are reporting the story as news (and about an equal number reporting it as fake), the video claims a google search will not find the story, maybe it didn't when the video was made, but the video is _now_ demonstrably false itself.

    At the end of the day whether you use Google, Snopes or Upworthy for fact checking, you are still trusting someone else to curate your news and therefore are subject to their biases and agendas.

    1. Re:What is truth, what is fact, and when? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At the end of the day whether you use Google, Snopes or Upworthy for fact checking, you are still trusting someone else to curate your news and therefore are subject to their biases and agendas.

      Yep. It is ultimately a matter of deciding where to put your trust. Just like we rely on experts in other parts of our lives - doctors, auto mechanics, plumbers, architects, etc - we rely on journalistic quality of our news sources. That said, it would be useful to better connect the source to viral headlines - I'd like to see the ability to hover over the headline and get a list of opinions from variety of sources about the quality of the story. Knowing that the national enquirer thinks highly of a story is just as informative as knowing that the new york times thinks poorly of it.

  18. help put an end to deceptive mindphucking blather by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    truth & mercy = justice.. not always psychotronically stimulating like we hostages require.. in the moms we trust.. cease fire stand down..

  19. Re: "Crowdsourced Volunteers" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Soros hates communists. That oldfart faggot is a fucking globalist nlgger cocksucker.

  20. 4 more years for Obama by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    That's the solution!

    1. Re:4 more years for Obama by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Compared to Trump? Absolutely!

  21. Easy by nospam007 · · Score: 2

    Just read the National Enquirer and The Onion, to learn what fake news are.

    If you read about a giant underwater crystal pyramid, found in the depths of the Bermuda triangle and you think this could be true, you are too stupid to vote.

    1. Re:Easy by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      The Onion isn't fake news; it's spoof news.

      P.S. A word can end in s without being a plural.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    2. Re:Easy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about CNN and NBC?

      http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2013/07/25/how-cnn-disgraced-itself-more-than-any-other-news-outlet/

      http://www.adweek.com/fishbowldc/roland-martin-critical-cnn/111791?red=dc

    3. Re:Easy by michael_wojcik · · Score: 1

      A word can end in s without being a plural.

      Certainly one can. In this case, though, it is (etymologically) plural; "news" is the plural of "new". It's just a plural that by convention is constructed as a singular noun, or arguably as a unitless mass plural one. English lets a word be etymologically and grammatically plural while enjoying singular usage, because English lets its speakers and writers do pretty much whatever they damn well please.

  22. What about Laura Ingraham? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    She's the one who did the fake 'Clinton body count' video via her Ingraham Media Group.

    Are you going to close her down? She's worth examining, because she fits a pattern:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Ingraham
    "In July 2009 she adopted a 13-month-old boy, Michael Dmitri, and two years later in June 2011 she announced the adoption of her third child, 13-month-old Nikolai Peter. Both of the boys were from Russia, a nation where Ingraham has spent considerable time"

    OK, so we have a claim there, and a source for that claim, so lets check that source.
    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2009/07/love_etc_67.html
    Well that certainly does appear to be her in Moscow.

    Why on earth does she spend so much time in Russia that they would let her, a single woman, adopt Russian children?

    Gee, why would she put so much effort into making fake media to get Trump elected? I cannot imagine a motive there, no sir.

    1. Re: What about Laura Ingraham? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Slander, the best source of fake news. She adopted from Russia, she must be commie. Really? Are you shitting me? That's how stupid modern progressives are?

    2. Re: What about Laura Ingraham? by unixisc · · Score: 1

      More like she adopted Russian kids, she must be in the tank for Putin, and is a liaison b/w him and Trump. Never mind that she's been a conservative voice since the 90s

    3. Re:What about Laura Ingraham? by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Since her first kid was from Guatemala, why doesn't she spend time getting illegals from Guatemala here? If her next 2 Russian kids are the reason for her support for Trump?

  23. There's only one solution to fake news... by SlovakWakko · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There's only one solution to fake news, and that is for people to take interest in the world around them, to be informed about politics outside of the 3 final months of the US presidential race and to have enough information to be able to weigh the probability that a source is trustworthy and that a story is plausible. Implausible, sensational stories and stories from unknown sources have to be verified. Either do this, or be lazy, stay dumb, do not participate and let others decide how you'll live. An easy first step - don't get your news from facebook and twitter!

  24. Use Web Annotation Tools by Mandrel · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There are tools like Genius that allow web pages to be annotated beyond the control of the publisher (attaching comments to highlighted text), allowing lies to be challenged in-situ, before their sharing reaches critical mass.

    But for this to make a difference, you'd have to ensure that the annotations are widely seen. An annotation system should come with the default install of web browsers (including the Facebook internal one), and if not enabled by default, the user should be asked whether they want it enabled.

    But this wouldn't fix the problem of fake articles being popular simply because they tell people something shocking that panders to what they want to hear. Readers sometimes don't care about the truth. They want the entertainment, smugness, and social bonding of an interesting and validating lie. The National Enquirer problem. So it's acceptable if annotations just damp the problem down, rather than eliminate it.

    1. Re:Use Web Annotation Tools by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Add annotation: is not.
      >>Add annotation: is so.
      >>>Add annotation: is not.

    2. Re:Use Web Annotation Tools by Mandrel · · Score: 1

      Genius annotations have up/down thumbs, so a well-argued one will likely have greater prominence.

      To prevent agree/disagree wars, I'd actually get rid of the down-mods, or at least name them like Slashdot.

  25. fake startups by zephvark · · Score: 2

    >The article also suggests this effort may one day spawn fake news-fighting tech startups.

    I love it! Fake tech startups that fight news! How do I get in on the ground floor? Fund me! Oooh ooh! Fund me!

    1. Re:fake startups by michael_wojcik · · Score: 1

      You've convinced me! Your fake check is in the fake mail.

      Really, I can't see why people are so down on this story. "A bunch of people have decided to talk about a thing, and they're taking notes in a Google doc." Pretty remarkable stuff.

  26. What's even scarier than fake news by execthis · · Score: 1

    What's even scarier than fake news is when news is blacked out. Fake news is not something one would never expect, even if we did not live in a society in which the mainstream media is controlled to an extremely high degree.

    I remember at least a couple major incidents of GMO contamination which literally made headlines across the rest of the world and which were almost completely blacked out of all US media. When you witness this kind of blanket blackout a few times you realize just how extensively MSM is controlled.

    Also on the issue of fake news - someone should go back to 2003 and investigate the "repenting shield" fake news stories just before the US started bombing Iraq.

    1. Re:What's even scarier than fake news by knorthern+knight · · Score: 1

      > What's even scarier than fake news is when news is blacked out. Fake news
      > is not something one would never expect, even if we did not live in a society
      > in which the mainstream media is controlled to an extremely high degree.

      Suppresion of real news makes nutty conspiracies more believable. How many people are aware that JFK was screwing more women than Bill Clinton could hope for? But the lib-left media kept quiet, even though they knew, because JFK was a Democrat. They also kept quiet for Bill Clinton's sexcapades. It was a store clerk (Matt Drudge), with a modem and a website ( http://drudgereport.com/ ) who finally broke the story http://drudgereportarchives.co...

      Note that Newsweek knew about the story, but decided to kill it. After the story first broke, Bill Clinton denied, denied, denied. Nowadays, when a nutty conspiracy theory comes out, it's quashed by the MSM and government denies, denies, denies. Maybe this time they're telling the truth. But, like "the boy who cried wolf", they've lost their credibility to fight nutty conspiracy theories. The lib-left big media are to blame for the current state of affirs.

      --

      I'm not repeating myself
      I'm an X window user; I'm an ex-Windows user
  27. We already have a crowdsourced solution. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Isn't this what reddit is for?

  28. It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the truth by sethstorm · · Score: 3, Insightful

    To the left, "fake news" is a smear given to anything that doesn't fit their narrative.

    --
    Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
  29. Beware of Censorship! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How to differentiate between 'fake news removal' and 'plain cencorship'?
    Who is going to decide what is fake and what isn't?

    Heck, even the "president elect" of the United States claims that global warming is 'an opinion'.

    So just because the Yankees elected a stupid baffoon as president, they other side is going to censor the entire Internet?
    Sounds worse than the 'great chinese firewall' to me!

  30. How about... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    we fuckin teach people how to THINK FOR THEMSELVES! Holy shit this problem would stop being a problem if people just stopped taking a single source as gospel! You read around, you find all the stories are:

    vague on sources
    repeating each other almost exactly with no new details or information coming out of different outlets
    using classical misinformation techniques including those vague sources such as "a study published today" with no links

    This is how you stop the problem of "fake news", cause the problem is actually lazy people wanting to be spoonfed information so they can go back to playing on twitter and facebook while texting about how much it suuuuuuuucks that Obama and Hillary had a lovechild out of wedlock and Trump paid for the abortion while repealing Obamacare and putting a KKK member in charge of Immigration whose first act is gonna be to remove all the muslims from the bible belt and ship them to California or something.

    1. Re: How about... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But if you follow that methodology, you end up doubting most real news too.

    2. Re: How about... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That right there is an a-ha! moment. Could it be that the real news is so propaganda laden that it too sets off critical readers' FAKE detector? Maybe "real news" needs to step up its game.

  31. "Fake news." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apparently, we're actually so eager and willing to be bullshitted that we can't even call them "lies" any more. No, we need a term to distance ourselves from the fact, so "fake news" it is. After all, we can't have our media outlets LYING to us, now can we? That wouldn't be the American way! No, we just have a little "fake news" problem, that's all.

  32. "untruthful" - LOL. Do they mean "fake"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Oh, they mean the MSM is losing control because most people don't believe their endless LIES any more, so they are now attempting to (yet again) tell us all how stupid we are, and that non-MSM websites are reporting "fake" news - i.e. anything the JEW doesn't want you to hear.

  33. News, like democracy, need mature people by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The nice thing about having a free press is that they can report just how it is and needn't toe the party line. Unfortunately people equated "can tell the truth" with "do tell the truth".

    You can actually see that very well in the development of the former East Bloc. Back in the day of the Iron Curtain, the people in the former East Bloc were pretty good at spotting bullshit news. Why? They knew that most of what they read, hear and see as news IS bullshit. And yes, that ability deteriorated quickly after their media became "free".

    The problem is that the same still applies. Most of what is reported as news is bullshit. Fake. Blended with opinion (to the point of being more opinion than information). At the very least distorted by omission. But people never learned to notice that. Because they were used to having "free" media, and they trusted them for the reasons mentioned above: They equated "can say the truth" with "do say the truth".

    This has to change. "Filtering" fake news at some higher level will not work. Because the fakers will just cry censorship and find enough idiots to fight their fight. You need an informed population that is able and willing to invest the time necessary to tell fake from real themselves.

    And no, I don't think either that this is possible. At best you can do it for yourself and at least keep yourself from falling for the next news item that belongs into Weekly World News rather than some reputable news outlet.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  34. Try Google journalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Has nobody proposed just doing good journalism to confirm or refute the suspect stories? Get the source material firsthand and make it available for all to see. Mike Cernovich and GotNews have been doing this.

    1. Re:Try Google journalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea, because if you read it on Google it must be true. Like renaming Trump Tower to Dump Tower.

  35. Well then CNN and the Wall Street Journal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Even if you set aside the ridiculously biased surveys intended to create a bandwagon effect ("HIllary Clinton has a 92% chance of winning the presidency"), no one should ignore the unending "fake news" that are Federal Reserve economic predictions, BLS employment statistics or the always hilarious "Consumer Sentiment" metrics. And then of course there's the "War Channel" that is CNN. Anyone find those weapons of mass destruction yet?

    1. Re:Well then CNN and the Wall Street Journal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      Misinformation has existed for as long as there have been people.

      Now that a self-appointed liberal Messiah has lost the election (which in her mined she was pre-ordained to win), suddenly fake news is a "problem" and the reason for losing the election.

      Fuck off. Your shitty scumbag candidate lost to some other shitty scumbag candidate.

      Stop worrying about the electoral college and fake news, and worry about your corrupt political party that engaged in such egregious lying and cheating that people were willing to vote for someone else, anyone,else, no matter how horrible, just to keep her from winning.

    2. Re:Well then CNN and the Wall Street Journal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Speaking as an outside observer, fake news was seen as a problem in the US long before your presedential elections. The amazing stupidity of the "Obama is a Muslim" and "Obama wasn't born in the US" are just the tip of the iceberg. To the outside world, you look like a nation sick with paranoid delusions.

    3. Re:Well then CNN and the Wall Street Journal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes inflammatory partisan language is most definitely the solution to fake news.

      Well done.

    4. Re:Well then CNN and the Wall Street Journal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am reminded of "The Onion", a site that specializes in creating fake news for entertainment purposes. Perhaps the general solution to the fake news problem can be a multi-part thing: (1) Anyone who can prove a new "news item" is fake would submit the "news item" and the proof to The Onion; (2) The Onion would verify the proof and then publish the fake "news item"; (3) Anyone wondering if a randomly-encountered news item was fake would simply check The Onion; (4) Increased veiwership would allow The Onion to afford a larger staff for verifying "news items" as fakes; (5) Evil-acting governments around the world would collapse after their propaganda got exposed as fake, courtesy of The Onion.

    5. Re:Well then CNN and the Wall Street Journal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Stop worrying about the electoral college and fake news, and worry about your corrupt political party that engaged in such egregious lying and cheating that people were willing to vote for someone else, anyone,else, no matter how horrible, just to keep her from winning.

      Please learn to differentiate between actual fake news and news that you merely disagree with.

      Fake news: "Donald Trump has a plan to rape everyone on the planet." (or on the Democratic side, "Pizzagate!") Partisan bias: "Donald Trump works for Russia!" (or on the Democratic side, "Hillary has secret plan to start WW3!")
      News You Might Disagree With: "Voting Trump will effectively cede Syria to Russia, and that's fine because Syria was a Russian client state before the war, and now it's a pile of rubble. Not our problem." (or on the Democratic side, "Hillary advocates a no-fly zone over Syria and this position might result in a shooting down of a Russian jet which would cause a major diplomatic incident, possibly leading to war.")

    6. Re: Well then CNN and the Wall Street Journal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe the tools of today give us the oppty to change it. Technology evolves. That's why it's time to look at solving the fake news issue.

      Then again your point proves ignorance is bliss...

    7. Re:Well then CNN and the Wall Street Journal? by slashrio · · Score: 1

      The only solution to 'fake news' is your own investigation and subsequent judgement.
      No institute can do that for you.
      This so called 'group of volunteers' probably is another fake grass root Soros funded clique aiming at credibility but soon to transform into a pro-main stream media fake news, and anti-alternative real news, propaganda organization.
      Sorry buddy, you will have to do it yourself, and all the brain dead people that are looking to be able to just consume their daily 'real news' will get corporate government approved really fake non-news.

      --
      "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
    8. Re:Well then CNN and the Wall Street Journal? by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 1

      "Self-appointed" liberal messiah?
      You mean the person the PEOPLE voted for, by majority rule?

    9. Re:Well then CNN and the Wall Street Journal? by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 1

      No, mostly it would be actual grass roots
      Because, you know, it wasn't Soros paying all the fake news trolls on Facebook
      That was the Kochsucker brigade

    10. Re: Well then CNN and the Wall Street Journal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And by majority you mean California and New York.

  36. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Eh. It's not like many of them post stories saying that Trump and Putin had a sex scandal or that Trump dropped a baby and gave it a brain injury.
    If you were to replace your beginning with "to everyone," you'd be a good deal closer to reality. I just wish more people would value video/audio evidence.

  37. This is a rare opportunity by Cytotoxic · · Score: 1

    It is rare that an early internet meme is perfectly applicable. Yet here we are. And still no one has posted the obvious.... so here it goes:

    They are proposing a massive system to become the final arbiter of truth.

      What could possibly go wrong?

  38. great.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    More nonsense from the us democrats and their international ilk. First carbon tax (a default poll tax) - now an insidious counter-the-hearsay movement with "fact checking". The problem is for the "liberal", errr I mean "progressive" outlets is they've become irrelevant. I mean really.. who the hell watches TV, and other government-corporate managed conduits of information. They had a decent run of almost 50 years. Now it's over.

  39. That is not fake news by aepervius · · Score: 1

    Fake news is announcing intentionally something which never happened with the intent of hoaxing the reader. Do you confuse bad-quality-news which do not go for your narrative, with fake news. Fake news would be that the policeman killing brown was a KKK honcho for the region. That's fake with the intention of hoaxing the person.

    --
    C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
    visit randi.org
    1. Re:That is not fake news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fake news is announcing intentionally something which never happened with the intent of hoaxing the reader.

      Like news sources continuing to report that Michael Brown was shot while standing still with his hands raised in surrender when official investigations, including the coroners' report, which plainly disprove this scenario, are made public?

      Somehow I doubt CNN/MSNBC would be flagged for such false reports/stories. At the same time, I'd bet big money that the Wikileaks DNC/Hillary emails would get a huge red 'X'.

    2. Re:That is not fake news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I fail to see the distinction. You appear to be saying that the news has to be blatantly false instead of subtly false or only false from a certain perspective.

      When the Michael Brown shooting unfolded the police said that the shooting was in self defense but that was ignored in favor of unsubstantiated claims by family members and "witnesses" with clear agendas. But this wasn't fake because the MSM never claimed that he was killed by the King of the Moon I guess.

      No need for critical thinking skills. We will decide what is OK for you to read. Just leave it all up to us.

    3. Re:That is not fake news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When the Michael Brown shooting unfolded the police said that the shooting was in self defense but that was ignored in favor of unsubstantiated claims by family members and "witnesses" with clear agendas. But this wasn't fake because the MSM never claimed that he was killed by the King of the Moon I guess.

      No, there were actual people - the family members and "witnesses" - who made those claims. Reporting on those claims is not "fake news." It's journalism. At the time the reporter made the interview, the autopsy hadn't been completed, and here's a person who claims they saw the whole thing.

      Fake news: "Martians used mind control rays to make Michael Brown charge at the police."
      Real news: "Here is an interview with a woman on the street who claims his hands were up."

      Real news can be incorrect, but it is not fraudulent from the outset. Fake news would be someone reporting that his hands were up. (The supposed witness, if they weren't actually a witness, or if they never saw his hands go up, lying to the news reporter, would be promulgating fake news. But in the case of the Brown shooting, the MSM didn't make the fake news - they reported real news from people who were either wrong or lying.)

    4. Re:That is not fake news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At the time the reporter made the interview, the autopsy hadn't been completed, and here's a person who claims they saw the whole thing.

      But that ignores the news outlets that continued (continue even today?) to report that MB was shot while surrendering even after it was determined the "hands up" narrative was not true.

      Who watches the watchers? Who determines what some algorithm flags as 'fake'?

      This 'fake news' narrative is a propaganda tactic aimed at creating a boogeyman to blame for having "no choice" but to filter what you're allowed see/read/hear. One of the first things Chavez in Venezuela did was to shut down any media critical of he or his regime. This is just the "kinder, gentler" version of the same thing.

    5. Re:That is not fake news by nbauman · · Score: 1

      That's right. News based on eyewitness accounts isn't fake news.

      Parent is saying that the news media should believe the police accounts and ignore the eyewitnesses.

      Eyewitness accounts are often wrong. Police accounts are often wrong.

      People are often convicted of crimes and sentenced to death based on eyewitness accounts. That's what the Innocence Project found out when they used DNA tests to double-check those accounts.

      Every criminal defense lawyer knows that police give false testimony, and bribe witnesses to give false testimony. They sometimes get caught by DNA testing and video evidence. So why should you assume that the police are telling the truth?

      You need to listen to both sides of the story, and wait for more facts to develop. That's pretty much what the mainstream news media did.

    6. Re:That is not fake news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And who is the one who determines the facts? If you have a multiple witnesses, which one does one believe? And if the news article refers to multiple events, how many have to be so inaccurate that the entire article is viewed as fake? Or do you give a rating?

    7. Re:That is not fake news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If there are facts or witnesses or sources, then we are clearly not in fake news territory! Possibly bad journalism or slanted reporting, but those are much more subjective and difficult to deal with than outright hoaxes.

    8. Re: That is not fake news by kenai_alpenglow · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Like claiming the riot was due to a badly produced Mohammed video on YouTube.

    9. Re:That is not fake news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These are all great points.

      But these folks are not the least bit worried that the #BLM people might get all upset about something fake. That is clearly not their agenda.

      They exist to quell speech that is problematic for their political fellow-travelers. So instead of killing the "hands up, don't shoot" narrative, they would be more likely to oppose the "multiple eyewitnesses say he fought with the police officer through the car window and then turned and charged again after initially fleeing" stories as fake news.

      They exist to stop Drudge Report, The Blaze, etc. from being influential in election cycles. They feel that without outlets like Breitbart they would have won the White House. But with other outlets covering things like airport runway meetings and email scandals and wikileaks documents showing collusion between the Clinton campaign and major news sources like CNN, they couldn't control the narrative as well as they would like.

      So they are setting up a pure-as-the-driven-snow watchdog group to police up "fake news".

      If you react to this with anything other than revulsion, you are either a cynical partisan with blinders on, or what they term a "useful idiot".

  40. Careful so you don't end up with censorship tools by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Careful so you don't end up with censorship tools.

    I would NOT want to see some important article I am posting somewhere, to get flagged out of existence, because it gets down voted to hell.

  41. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    To the alt-right, fake news is the excuse for ignoring anything that contradicts their narrative.

    In fact, it's the foundation if their fantasy world.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  42. Maybe this has a cross-over application by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not to rain on your enthusiastic parade, but this is essentially the same problem to solve as phishing. Good luck SJWs.

  43. He who controls the truth. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He who controls the truth controls history, or some other pretentious bullshit quote.

    These people want to rewrite history in realtime so that you have no evidence to the contrary of their oppressive, selective lies.
    Special snowflakes should be put down.

  44. this is. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is not about news, fake or not. Its about control and perception of being in control over opinions that pubbies might have.

  45. meh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    at the sametime, google is also figuring out how to preserve their fake news and spam bots. anything to save hillary.

  46. Q: How to coutneract fake news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A: More early education that encourages logic and critical thinking

    A that they will arrive at: More censorship.

  47. Decentralized information by new_01 · · Score: 1

    Is going to be here soon. IPFS, ZeroNet, Maidsafe, plus decentralized DNS through Namecoin is going to take hold and these people won't be able to censor anything. Everyone needs to be playing with these technologies right now. They are going to try and silence us and retake control of your information stream.

  48. You gotta be kidding by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This has to be some kind of record.

    People don't wanna think, they want someone to tell me what to think and this is absolute proof of how lazy everyone has gotten now.

    And to show they don't want to think, they can't even imagine the consequences of demanding someone censor the news for them.

  49. Running with the narrative huh... by Fragnet · · Score: 1

    This "fake news" narrative is bollocks. People seek out news and information that confirms their preexisting prejudices. If people are believing "fake news" it's an issue for the education system to deal with - i.e. stop pumping out unthinking drones lacking in a broad general knowledge. Algorithms and people tagging stories as fake is extremely sinister.

    1. Re:Running with the narrative huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who tags the taggers? In my opinion, the most common lie is told through omission. This is also the hardest lie to prove as a lie - the teller can always throw their hands up and say "I didn't know" or "I don't recall".

      Which layer of oversight will be the one that is magically immune to outside influence and be able to provide simple black-and-white answers?

  50. Isn't that the thing journalists (should) do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Isn't that the thing journalists (should) do?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalist

  51. successful example of fighting against fake news by avgapon · · Score: 0
  52. Fake, Fact and Fiction by richardkettle4 · · Score: 1

    It is not even clear to me what 'fake' news is: not genuine? A counterfeit? A copy? For that is what we mean by the word. Be careful what you wish for; for who could verify political 'genuineness' other than politicians? Perhaps we are thinking of 'it is fiction'. As opposed to 'facts'. But is it? Are the stories 'fiction'? Well, I read fiction every day and, guess what, I know it is fiction by the very content. Perhaps it is 'false', as opposed to 'true'? How could we verify that? And you are, of course, allowed to define truth as you wish. But are you really prepared to allow news outlets, political parties and FaceBook to define this? This would be a new definition of truth, and, of course, a novel use of 'genuine' news. Rather, most parts of our lives are not dominated by these politically and metaphysically loaded concepts. Do not give them up, but put them in their right place. Replace Psychology below with anything you wish: The confusion and barrenness of psychology is not to be explained by calling it a "young science"; its state is not comparable with that of physics, for instance, in its beginnings. (Rather with that of certain branches of mathematics. Set theory.) For in psychology there are experimental methods and conceptual confusion. (As in the other case, conceptual confusion and methods of proof.) The existence of the experimental method makes us think we have the means of solving the problems which trouble us; though problem and method pass one another by. An investigation is possible in connexion with mathematics which is entirely analogous to our investigation of psychology. It is just as little a mathematical investigation as the other is a psychological one. It will not contain calculations, so it is not for example logistic. It might deserve the name of an investigation of the 'foundations of mathematics'.

    1. Re:Fake, Fact and Fiction by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      It is not even clear to me what 'fake' news is

      Then you're being obtuse and ignoring reality. This election cycle there have been an awful lot of stories circulated on social media linking to supposed news sources which are in fact nothing more than collections of outright lies. IOW lies masquerading as news stories.

      The rest of your post reads like a paragraph-break free collection of sophistry trying to rationalize away reality.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    2. Re:Fake, Fact and Fiction by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      # Radio [clap] wall of text [clap] is it a pi;le of bullshit?
      I don't know [clap] I don't care [clap] I can't be arsed to read it ... /#

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  53. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To the left, "fake news" is a smear given to anything that doesn't fit their narrative.

    This isn't a left/right thing. This is a powerful/commoner thing. This is the beginning of a censorship campaign.

  54. No replacing humans when subtle tricks are used by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many of the fake news stories cited legitimate sources but rewrote the story to make it inflammatory. The Grubhub letter to employees where the ceo indicates that those subscribing to "Trumps" values of hate, prejudice, etc. wouldn't be happy at Grubhub and should leave was re-written to suggest that the CEO was telling Trump supporters to resign.

    Subtle differences in context designed to anger. Unless one reads the original story and original quote/letter in context, no one would spot the difference.

    Like taking one sentence of a paragraph and using only that as a quote without showing the rest that may counter or change the meaning.

  55. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by rholtzjr · · Score: 2

    And to the right, fake news is the current MSM. What's the difference?

    I would say bringing back journalistic integrity and not provide opinions would be a good start.

  56. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by richardkettle4 · · Score: 1

    'in fact' ? Whose facts are those? And if you think there are only one set of facts that someone are true for all, well, you are a bad observer of the world.

  57. We Can Do Better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    > There's only one solution to fake news, and that is for people to take interest in the world around them,

    And yet, we could do a whole lot better at giving people tools that help them accomplish that. Helping people be more effective at whatever they need to do is the entire reason we have computers and the internet.

  58. It is not fake news, it is deceiving advertisments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is not fake news, it is deceiving advertisements.
    Acknowledge that, and you are already 50% underway to a solution.

    Hints. websites should clearly mark advertisements as what they are, advertisements. Websites should punish advertisement networks that serve bad ads (fake news, virus or otherwise). Don't deal with those, value their ads lower than those of other networks.
    Advertising networks should punish bad advertisers. Do not accept their ads. Blacklist them.
    And of course, users should all run add-block software.

  59. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    That's my real fear with this - that people are buying in to the idea that "fake news" is a problem that needs a new layer to fix, instead of looking at traditional news outlets and wondering why they are so untrusted in the first place. It seems to me that if the traditional sources had kept up on journalistic integrity we wouldn't be talking about how to invent another layer of This-is-real-news-this-time-we-mean-it.

    Let's put it another way. Journalistic integrity went out the window because there is money in giving lies the appearance of truth. So once there are new "trusted" fact-checker organizations, they too will experience the pull of money to skew their "facts" to fit backers desires. It's turtles all the way down.

  60. Stopping the spread of fake news, by Grand+Facade · · Score: 1

    Will be more difficult than stopping spam.

    Any solution will result in litigation with claims of discrimination or rights voilatiions

    --
    Rick B.
    1. Re:Stopping the spread of fake news, by Grand+Facade · · Score: 1

      And if it was blocked where would slashdot get it's news feeds?

      --
      Rick B.
    2. Re:Stopping the spread of fake news, by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      where would slashdot get it's news feeds?

      From here.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  61. That's not going to work by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    unless you're going to mandate it (e.g. by compulsory voting). You massively underestimate just how little time people have. Most have 2 jobs (or work equivalent hours) and multiple children.

    A better (though longer term) solution would be to pump up the liberal arts in college. It's the only chance people have to learn critical thinking. That's 'learn critical thinking', not 'be genetically predisposed to it'. When it comes to the sciences all but a handful of geniuses are just memorizing things. That's not going to change, there just aren't enough humans wired that way. That's where the liberal arts comes in. It's the one place where just about anyone can be taught that there's deeper meaning to something they're reading or watching. It's a place where the truly awful history of mankind can be taught too. Ever notice how the rich make sure _their_ kids have a well rounded education? Ever ask yourself why?

    Of course, _nobody_ likes paying the liberal arts. After all, how ya gonna pay bills with a philosophy degree, amiright?

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:That's not going to work by SlovakWakko · · Score: 1

      Yep, you're right. I also agree with you that people need to be educated in ways of maintaining democracy, but I think college is too late - and too important for your financial prospects to waste it on liberal arts as you pointed out. It has to be done in middle school + high school. But it's quite difficult to push through any political establishment an education in navigating the lies, propaganda, corruption, appeals to our baser instincts, emotional blackmail and empty promises of said political establishment :)

      OT: Anyway, I don't think that "fake news" is really an issue. It's been here for ages and it's being targeted by your media now just so that the political elites and their allied MSM who have lost an election (to a candidate considered a joke) don't have to face the fact that they are completely disconnected from the people they are supposed to represent. The same happened in my country earlier this year, when people disenchanted with our political elites voted an ultra-nationalist party into our parliament. Just so you see the similarity with Trump/Clinton - before the elections here, our prime minister said about the leader of the ultra-nationalists that "only a bag of potatoes could loose against him". And just as in your elections, the ultra-nationalists have been severely underestimated in the pre-election polls. The difference is, nobody tried to blame "fake news" for their own shortcomings. We prefer to blame the MSM instead, and our prime minister actually used the term "dirty, anti-slovak prostitutes" :)

      Final OT: Voting for anti-establishment parties is a common popular reaction to economic troubles (see http://www.lse.ac.uk/economicH...) and I'm tempted to think that someone in GOP showed a real genius by allowing Trump, widely seen as anti-establishment, to win the primaries. While for us educated liberals it looked like Trump is the only candidate who could loose against the reviled, corrupt, crony and hawkish Clinton, in fact it was quite the opposite - Trump was the ideal candidate, vulgar enough and hated by the political elites, to win the election for GOP.

  62. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by Mashiki · · Score: 1

    Those facts? They're the ones WAPO is pushing. You know, the fact that news aggregators like Drudge are now "fake news" in their eyes. Or wikileaks is "fake news." This bullshit is getting bad enough that even left-wing journalists are calling the entire thing bullshit, and for good reason. Where does it get good? Well just dig a bit, though the ASN is still pointing at google.

    --
    Om, nomnomnom...
  63. Obvious solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The most obvious solution is to scan the domain registration date. Most "fake" news sites are created to spoof the likes of CNN by literately scraping the page and changing just the one news item to highlight things. The actual site is not really functional. So trying to search the site for news older than it's registration date will likely fail, and thus it's rubbish.

    Sites of actual newspaper sites (except HuffPo) will have archives that pre-date the internet. Those articles may not actually be online, (eg a subscription may be required) or the site layout has changed, thus rendering the permalinks not functional.

    But more to the point a lot of community papers use the exact same software. Locally all the papers in the province use the exact same software, so they all look identical, but the way to discover which news is fake is that they syndicate the same news in most of the local papers, where as a fake news item will NOT show up in any local paper at all. The likes of the Associated Press and Reuters tend to have syndicated articles in all legitimate papers, while fake news items (even if attributed to AP) will not show up on AP's website, or other AP syndicated news sites.

    So the easiest way to fight fake news is in fact to use the tools that already exist (eg the DMCA) to take down websites showing trademarks that the fake news site clearly has no permission to use (eg CNN, NBC, FOX NEWS, etc), and to remove scraped articles.

    1. Re:Obvious solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      AP and Reuters publish fake articles all the time.
      MSM fake article is often twisted meaning, twisted and misplaced quotes and so on. To really work, "news" must be 60% truth and 40% of twisted meaning.

  64. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, we on the left know that the right prefers their own 'facts', we are generally pretty good observers of the world.

    Very relevant fact: the people peddling invented news are targeting the right because in their experience the left is not fooled.

  65. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Give up on this "alt-right" bullshit. It does not exist. That term is just the latest attempt to smear conservatives with the typical bullshit ad hominem garbage "racist, sexist, homophobic, etc etc". Racist dirtbags existed before and, sadly, will continue to exist. Nazi-types are not right-wing. Funny how leftists love to push that though. National Socialism is a leftist ideology.

    You folks also were against freeing the slaves and ran the KKK as your political enforcement arm but you've been disturbingly successful at convincing the bulk of this low-information nation that those were right-wing endeavors. Congrats??

  66. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

    To the left, "fake news" is a smear given to anything that doesn't fit their narrative.

    I have noticed that the things that alt right nutjobs screech most loudly that "the left" do seem to be much more common among those same nutjobs than among the left. It's almost as if you believe that by yelling and screaming louder than anyone you can alter reality.

    Also, about 99.6% of the time "narrative" appears in a post that's not about fiction, it's an indication that the person using it is an idiot.

    --
    SJW n. One who posts facts.
  67. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let's put it another way. Journalistic integrity went out the window because there is money in giving lies the appearance of truth.

    No, I think journalistic integrity went out the window because there's been such a strong push by newspaper publishers to force their journalists to engage with their readers on social media to the point that journalists don't have the time to do good reporting on anything.

    So once there are new "trusted" fact-checker organizations, they too will experience the pull of money to skew their "facts" to fit backers desires. It's turtles all the way down.

    More they'll see that people will go everywhere else for their news. You've got to be first to be read and to not be read is to see no ad money. But, yea, turtles all the way down.

  68. After the defeat of mainstream media by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    After the defeat of mainstream media in the election, there's suddenly an onslaught of fake news campaign. Coincidence?

  69. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The alt-right at least is not trying to control what information people can see. You can add this "fake news" to the enormous and growing list of evil done by the ctrl-left. The ctrl-left are dangerous. The pattern has been established that they are amoral and go well beyond what people with ethics would stop at to achieve their ends.

  70. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The New York Times held regular meetings to discuss the "narrative" and to decide what news would support it, or how to spin news that didn't. Many news outlets coordinated news releases for political purposes on the Journo-list email discussion group. The Clinton campaign had high-ranking representives in every news service except Fox that were "reliable surrogates" that could be used to deliver the same, pre-determined, message - a 'narrative', if you will.

    There is plenty of evidence of news companies cooperating to deliver a message with a consistent, non-neutral, tone.

  71. "Fake news" means anything against the agenda by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The "fake news" they want to get rid of is the source of real unbiased information, that f.ex. lets people know about all the wrongs that are done in the Middle East by the U.S. and cronies. This is not a war against "fake news", it's a war against the few brave people that try to educate and inform an increasingly dumbed down population.

  72. There is no Real News by Attila+Dimedici · · Score: 3, Insightful

    To whatever degree that fake news was successful, its success was a result of traditional news sources being unreliable. If the Washington Post, the New York Times, et al had not completely committed themselves to getting Hillary elected, no matter what lies they needed to tell to do so, people would have been able to spot the fake news. Unfortunately, "real news" no more reflected the facts than "fake news".

    --
    The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
  73. Parody? by denzacar · · Score: 1

    You should look up that word... I do not think it means what you think it means.

    Also words like "story", "fable", "imagined", "prose", "satire", "novel"...

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  74. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by PJ6 · · Score: 1

    To the left, "fake news" is a smear given to anything that doesn't fit their narrative.

    How did this get modded +4 Insightful?

    Slashdot's been flawed for years, but this up-modding of obvious trolls seems to be new.

    And this whole left versus right bullshit is getting quite old.

  75. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First, you talk in dehumanizing language and perjoratives about your enemy. Second, your response about what "alt right nutjobs screech" about is in context of the far greater evil of the Left trying to suppress information. Third, claiming "the Right is worse" ignores all the proven other greater evils recently uncovered by O'Keefe and various e-mail leaks, etc.

    Summary: you are blindly biased, and you even set out to offensively defend your team even in context of their awful actions. You seem too far entrenched to be able to change.

  76. Liberal projection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    They warn that Trump will contest the election results if he loses; they are the ones calling for a recount.
    They warn that Trump will censor the news; they are the ones that want to prevent "fake" news through human and algorithmic intervention

  77. Who is driving this agenda? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I had never heard the term "Fake News" used in this particular context before about two weeks ago. Now there are dozens of new stories every day. Who is driving this agenda? I don't believe "PropOrNot" started this whole thing. Somebody is bankrolling this entire effort and we should all be worried.

    "Fake News" has been around since the beginning of time, the main difference now is you can actually check any story in seconds with a few clicks of the mouse. In 1000 BC when a wild rumor about your neighbor sacrificing children to Baal, the only fact check you could do was with your own eyes. In 1800 if some political flier was nailed to the wall accusing a politician of taking bribes, one had little means to cross-check. Fake News is LESS of an issue today than ever in human history.

  78. hashtag details never stopped mattering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "I have doubts that such a system will flag false/fake stories that nevertheless fit certain agendas and narratives."

  79. Massacre? Incident? Who Can Tell What Fake Is? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What was it the Tiananmen Square Massacre monument has etched in stone- "In June 1989, nothing important happened here"?

    Welcome to the New World Order. This 'fake news' brouhaha is as you say- like the world powers looking at each other and realizing they are now looking in a mirror.

    They justified keeping home internet serving from us out of fears of trademark infringing phishing. Then Google, Facebook, and New York Times ad networks raked in the dough paying the phishers^Hpropagandists and labeling their fraud 'sponsored news'.

  80. What about all the fake news from MSM? by walterbyrd · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is the mass media responsible for fabricating stories and inciting riots? Seems to me the media routinely fans the flames of racial division by releasing false information.

    Remember the Charlotte riots? The media first reported that Keith Scott was unarmed. This was a major factor that led to the riots. Turns out, Keith Scott was armed. Is this a case of media fabrications causing riots?
    In the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, the media first reported that Brown was on his knees with his hands up. Turns out, that was another media fabrication which also led to riots.

    In the Ahmed Mohamed clock incident, the media first reported that Ahmed was just building a clock, as a project for his electronics class, but the principal called the police because Ahmed was a Muslim. Turns out, that was another media fabrication. Ahmed used a clock that he bought at a department store, along with a briefcase and other props, to make a fake bomb. In a post-Columbine world, what should the principal have done? What if it had been a bomb? BTW: although he was richly rewarded for this stunt, Ahmed has been posting extremely anti-American rants: he called the 9/11 attacks self defense, he supports BLM, and much more.

    When George Michael Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin, the media first posted photos of an 11 year old Trayvon. Months after the incident, some people still believed that Zimmerman attacked a small child, which was not the case. Trayvon was an athletic 5'11" and 160 lbs. and was beating the snot out of Zimmerman. Maybe Zimmerman was not justified in shooting Trayvon, but Trayvon was not an 11 year child, and the media tried to insinuate.

    1. Re: What about all the fake news from MSM? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ahmed has been posting extremely anti-American rants: he called the 9/11 attacks self defense, he supports BLM, and much more.

      Interesting that you include supporting BLM as an extremely anti-American rant.

      Are we supposed to ignore how many people desperately want to treat BLM as a hate group, a terrorist group, and anti-police, even though that isn't accurate?

      You'd be well-advised to consider your own failings on that one. Yeah, you may be used to all your buddies nodding along as somebody ponderously declares that BLM is evil and despicable, but others have their own issues with that rotten fish of an idea.

      Same with a lot of the time, the police lie. You may not remember the report on the abuses in Ferguson, but others do, you may not remember the mishandling of the Zimmerman case, but others do (and let's face it, he'd benefit from a bit of time in prison), you may not remember the tons of times corrupt and lying cops have been caught out. It is a serious problem, but you, you can't even admit it.

    2. Re: What about all the fake news from MSM? by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      Your point is an excellent one about Zimmerman and cops lying, but that is not the focus of this discussion, it's "fake news." The point was that the "mainstream" media lie, all that time, which has led to alternate news. (Whether it's fake or not I couldn't say. I'm sure some is, I'm sure some isn't.) What I find most shocking is that people in the US and perhaps other western democracies are actually thinking censorship of 'fake news' is a good thing. Perhaps if mainstream media was trustworthy and reported facts rather than their own opinion, this wouldn't be an issue.

  81. Ok, both parties are complicit, happy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ok, both parties are complicit, happy?

    The last signature is the president. The buck stops there.

    1. Re:Ok, both parties are complicit, happy? by RyoShin · · Score: 1

      No, the buck stops back in Congress who can overturn the Veto. While their majority wasn't Veto-proof, I can't see them having a hard time getting (D) Congresscritters on board if Obama was willing to sign off on it in the first place.

      Consider, also, that Obama would have nothing to sign or veto if not for Congress first passing it.

  82. The solution to fake news must be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... "Real News"?

  83. Fake according to whose narrative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Fake according to whose narrative?

    Fake on what grounds?
    Incorrect facts?
    Incorrect conclusions?
    Lack of journalistic integrity?
    One sided, or nonobjective?

    There are multiple examples of all of these from every one of our main stream media services.

    The problem I have with this is that the true objective is to filter news, that will basically result in censorship.

    What we have right now is one side that is very well organized and funded, running a very large propaganda and phsycological operation on the American public. The only problem being encountered by them, is that some news doesn't fit their narrative.

  84. It's pretext for controlling what you see. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's pretext for controlling what you see.

  85. Both sides are control freaks, whataboutism is BS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Both sides are control freaks, whataboutism is BS!

  86. GrokLaw already solved this. by Hylandr · · Score: 1

    Confirm any 'news' you read with a trusted friend in the area.

    I live near Portland and recently seen the following article, and asked a long time friend it's true:

    https://news.slashdot.org/stor...

    When I hear back, I will know if it's trustworthy or not.

    Problem solved.

    --
    ~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
    1. Re:GrokLaw already solved this. by Hylandr · · Score: 1

      Answer:

      Me: Can you confirm this one?
      Friend: Yes, though its been fixed. They pushed out a firmware update that reset the systems.

      Was that so hard?

      --
      ~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
    2. Re:GrokLaw already solved this. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I live in Kansas and have one friend that moved to the Portland area. The last time I spoke with him, a few months ago, I failed to agree with him that Donald Trump was the worst person in history. He then ended the conversation with the standard "Literally Hitler!" that the media taught him. I inquired whether the riots affected him after the election and was met with silence. I likely now have one less friend.

      Your strategy doesn't work for everyone.

  87. Re:It's not fake news they're hunting, it's the tr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Exactly. To the left, Fox News, Breitbart and Rush Limbaugh are "fake news". To the right MSNBC, Daily Kos, HuffPo and "the Daily Show" are "fake news". Do you see the problem with any attempt to regulate "fake news" now? And stop bringing up absurd examples like the story about Hillary running a child brothel out of a pizzeria. I doubt if many had ever heard that story before the "fake news" drum started beating and even fewer believed it.

  88. anti freedom idiots. by wyHunter · · Score: 1

    For all these anti-freedom lefties and righties, "Fake news" merely means "News I don't agree with." May they all die a horrible death.

  89. Let them be stupid by pabloesgalhardo · · Score: 1

    But what can they do??!! The only way for a person to avoid lies is to be informed and sceptical. How can you have a consumerist economy with such public? Let them be dumb, its better for Facebook and all

  90. What kind of society do we want? by wermske · · Score: 1

    There is a difference between censorship and accountability. The intentional act of swearing a false oath or of falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth is already a well documented crime. There is a reason society has determined this to be necessary -- it is harmful to civil society. As proscriptions against slander and liable have emerged over time to address wrongs in society, we need a new element in the law that combats intentional, harmful, or negligent deceit.

    We must confront the reality that the intentional or negligent act of creating or advancing untruth (and/or selective truth) in the guise of reporting whole truth is also harmful to civil society.

    Fake news is a sticky hairball that transforms even the most intelligent, well-intentioned people into deceitful reprobates. Fake news is short term individual gain at the expense of long term social pain. Every untruth that is contrived and/or propagated diminishes us as a whole. The sooner we (collectively) reach a tipping point of understanding that untruth in all its forms is a net negative, the sooner we can stop bitching about specific rotten trees and start practicing good forestry.

    Of what kind of society do we wish to be a part?

    1. I want a society where I don't feel the need to advantage myself with untruths. I want a society where all untruth is shunned and even the "little white lie" is heart-wrenching and demoralizing.
    2. I want a society where "news" is differentiated from "opinion." I want a society where "news" is the whole truth; not a sensational sound-bite.

    I believe that fake news is a crime against civilization and society. I believe those who use fake news to harm individuals, groups, or society as a whole should be punished and/or rehabilitated.

    Let us be clear... This is not an American problem nor a Russian problem nor a Chinese problem nor an Indian problem. This is not a Christian problem nor a Muslim problem nor a Jewish problem nor a problem of non-Abrahamic systems of faith or practice. This is not a Liberal problem nor a Conservative problem nor a problem for the rich or poor. This is not a problem for academics, laborers, financiers nor hard working house-spouses. This is a problem for all humanity... it is a test of our humanity.

    We as global citizens must demand better in a global information age, lest we suffer the consequences of our unwillingness to stand up against a tyranny of deceit. We must demand better from the Platonian Philosopher Kings that reign over technology and media and, if necessary, hold them accountable as purveyors of deceit. We are living Toffler's FutureShock. We must be as determined to die for the truth that we find discomforting as we are that which comforts us -- because deceit is the mothers milk of tyranny and suffering -- because the fight for truth is noble, righteous, and just.

    Perhaps some cultures may need to cut out the tongues of those convicted of speaking falsehood. Perhaps some cultures need to cut off fingers and hands of those convicted of writing falsehoods. For my culture, the sooner we can try and punish criminal deceit and litigate tortious deceit for compensatory and punitive damages -- the sooner we will rediscover news with integrity and journalism that uplifts society. Any crime against society must be met with a level of barbarity such that none in that society dare transgress. We stop being civilized if we abdicate truth.

    Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami. (pali)