I’ve declared war on the purveyors of the Fake News claims. I’m fed up with the endless droning on of Fake News whenever someone doesn’t like what they hear in the news. Just because you don’t agree with what you hear or read doesn’t make it fake for Gods’ sake.
I’ll give you a good example. A columnist in the Australian newspaper today wrote a piece about a proposal tabled during Tony Abbott’s time as PM. That generated a raft of comments. Most of them mindless drivel. But, I saw red when the Fake News accusations started. It’s old news and the journo making something out of it was stupid but fake, no it wasn’t. I shared my frustration with everything being turned into a conspiracy or plot.
Back comes this. “All options on the table, reviewed and rejected several years ago. Sounds irrelevant today and PVO making something of it is definitely fake news.” Hello!!!!! She said the options were on the table, reviewed and rejected. How in heavens name can that be a fake!!!! It’s OLD NEWS. It’s NOT Fake News. And PVO making something of it is nothing more than him sharing his opinion. There are no untruths, just old news and opinions.
Donald Trump has much to answer for in unleashing the Fake News mantra. He did it for a specific reason and that was to discredit anyone who criticises him or who doesn’t support him. It’s worked, with a large proportion of the population both in the US and in my home country Australia blowing the Fake News trumpet. Hence, Trump’s Fake News mantra has been the catalyst for the growth of the Fake News religion and the chanting is growing ever louder.
The problems with turning something into a cliche (and make no mistake Fake News is now a cliche) is threefold. Genuine Fake News doesn’t get the attention it should. That’s a real issue when politicians are spreading Fake News themselves and the media are collaborating. The public has become so conditioned to everything being labeled fake they’re no longer able to differentiate between fact, fiction and downright lies. This leads to genuine issues being dismissed by the reader as lies; Fake News when it usually isn’t. That, is dangerous.
Most of our more well known media outlets favours one-side more than the other side. Of the ones most attacked by Fake News disciplines you find factual reporting is high. But as Media Bias/Fake News Fact Checkers Point out, “They often publish factual information that uses loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using an appeal to emotion or stereotypes) either left or right and to varying degrees. Hence do more research and apply personal probability thinking but cut the mindless Fake News chanting.
A major problem is people don’t think anymore. Based on their preconceived prejudices they just dismiss any news they don’t agree with or that doesn’t fit with their political convictions. It’s mindless stuff. I went through the comments to one column published by one of our premium MSM outlets yesterday. I gave up after counting 125 Fake News claims. There was nothing fake about the report. Every point could be validated. The ones that got the most likes were those pushing the Fake News cliche or the ones telling out right lies. That says it all.
So yes, I’m declaring war on the purveyors of the Fake News. I might be the only one fighting on my side but at least I’ll feel like I’ve done something. And I’ve attempted to try and focus the discussion back onto fact, fiction and down right lies regardless of who is delivering the message. And, I’m calling out those who just throw out Fake News to stifle debate or who attempt to discredit people they don’t agree with.
