3 ms·
This article really only focuses on organized fake news campaigns directed by a larger organization. But that's not the only source: sometimes fake news comes f
by trendia 9y ago
This article really only focuses on organized fake news campaigns directed by a larger organization. But that's not the only source: sometimes fake news comes from a single individual looking to score fake internet points, such as the St. Olaf note that was fabricated by a student for a personal reason:
> ... they confronted a person of interest who confessed to writing the note.
This case was one of only two examples given in the article, and it doesn't even support the thesis that the sources of fake news are organizations. So, we shouldn't automatically assume that all instances of fake news or Twitter trolls are being paid to do what they do ... some people are simply trolls because they like to be trolls.
- duskwuff 9y agoFor that matter... could it be the case that some instances of "fake news" are constructed by PR groups as demonstrations of their influence? If misinformation is being sold as a product, after all, the easiest way for a vendor to distinguish themselves is to have some samples available...
- fivestar 9y agoThe Sinking of the USS Maine comes to mind--the Yellow Journalists egged the US into a war with Spain over an attack that never took place. Or perhaps it was a false-flag type of deal. We'll never know. The tinkering with public opinion is what is unethical, and it doesn't matter if it is the NY Times (and its owners), The Washington Post, a tv network owned by GE, a blogger, a naive college student, or whoever, it is still unethical behavior. The media is all high and mighty about stamping out fake news while acting as the major purveyors of the same low quality, canted, and often times deliberately conjured out of whole cloth, non-information.