Since the election of Donald Trump as President, the term Fake News has become more common in both social media and regular media streams. For many of us, it has become tiring, as anyone and everyone begins utilizing Fake News to disrupt any meaningful argument that opposes their point of
Continue readingTag: fake news
The Sir Robert Bond Papers: Junk reporting of medical research
The Telegraph is a major conventional newspaper in the United Kingdom. And it spreads fake news. There’s nothing surprising in that. Most conventional news organisations produce some amount of pure nonsense in the course of a year. The crap content level varies from outlet to outlet and the people who
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Message to the media and conservatives about Alberta’s NDP: Read their lips, no early election!
PHOTOS: Opposition Wildrose Leader Brian Jean and Progressive Conservative Leader Jason Kenney. Below: A clear-eyed Premier Rachel Notley, former British Columbia NDP premier Dave Barrett and the late Jim Prentice, former premier of Alberta. TORONTO “Two years after Alberta NDP win, critics see signs of early election call,” a headline
Continue readingThe Political Road Map: Adult Assembly Required: Fake News
The term Fake News isn’t real! Surprised? Probably not, as we have been bombarded with the term Fake News as an action verb since the election of Donald Trump, in an effort to label news stories that are created in an effort to mislead. The term has garnered so much
Continue readingAlberta Politics: April Fools jokes? In 2017? Just forget it! The zeitgeist forbids!
PHOTOS: Calgary lawyer David Khan, the only candidate willing to lead the sad-sack Alberta Liberals. Below: Donald Trump in a rare presidential moment; Jason Kenney, the man with a mandate to destroy the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta; and Sheila Gunn Reid, who in real life has nothing whatsoever to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Stellar Analysis: Kellyanne Conway’s Interview Tricks, Explained
Vox offers this deconstruction of the slippery and morally repugnant Kellyanne Conway. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Stellar Analysis: Kellyanne Conway’s Interview Tricks, Explained
Vox offers this deconstruction of the slippery and morally repugnant Kellyanne Conway. Recommend this Post
Continue readingScripturient: Hoax: Five-meter giant skeletons
Once again, the internet is being circulated with fake news that grabs the gullible by their grey matter. This time’s it’s a regurgitation of a 2014 hoax – then recycled in 2015- claiming the skeleton of a five-meter tall giant was unearthed in Australia. Accompanying the reports are risibly Photoshopped
Continue readingExcited Delirium: Which ‘news’ is ‘real’ and which is ‘fake’?
Not sure what’s ‘fake’ or ‘real’ when it comes to news? Neither am I, but I’ll give you this spoiler: Let’s Own The News.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: How To Think, Not What To Think
I have been retired from teaching for 10 years now, and I can say that since departing, I have not missed the classroom for a single day. I say this despite the fact that every few weeks I dream about being back on the job, usually with about two weeks
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More Weapons In The War Against Fake News
If you get the bulk of your news from television and print journalism, you may be unaware of the extent to which fake news has taken hold in the virtual world. If you are in that category, here is a link to the stories I have posted revolving around the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More On Fake News
I was tempted to conflate the first two words of my title to drive home a point, but I resisted. Meanwhile, Star readers weigh in on that shameful Canadian, Stephanie MacWilliams, who played a key role in the ‘pizzagate’ fake news story that almost ended in tragedy: Belleville woman played
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Fake News
While the following is hardly an in-depth report, the interview with the fake-news writer near the end of the report is rather interesting in that it sheds light on the mercenary motives behind such shameful work: Recommend this Post
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Do You Know Anyone?
Perhaps she’s a friend or acquaintance. Maybe he’s a relative or a co-worker. They could be in their 20s or their 70s, doesn’t matter. What sets them apart from other friends and other acquaintances, other relatives or other co-workers, is that they have already succumbed to a belief in fake
Continue readingMontreal Simon: The Day Donald Trump Fired One Of His Trolls
Donald Trump had an army of trolls working for him during the election, spreading fake stories, and flaming his opponents. So it was quite a shock to see him fire one of them.And no ordinary troll either. A member of his own transition team.Read more »
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Toward A New Clarity Of Language
With conventional media fighting an ever-growing juggernaut of fake news, news that is either outright lie or gross distortion, two national journals have joined a growing chorus in refusing to use the euphemism alt-right: The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. After much discussion and input, Kathy English, The
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Easy-To-Use Weapon Against Fake News
People of a certain ‘vintage’ will well remember the above commercial, in which a family appears to take great delight in fooling dad about the spread he is using. All in all, a humorous and harmless deception, one with no lasting consequences. Today, however, we face challenges to truth that
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: And Speaking of Our Post-Truth World
Yesterday’s post dealt with the challenges real journalism faces in this era of presidential prevarications and attacks on the media. The following video, via Mother Jones, shows what critical thinkers everywhere have to contend with. Considering the above, we, as a species, clearly have little to be arrogant about. Recommend
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Surviving In A Post-Truth World
Reading my morning paper, the Toronto Star, I came across a notice to subscribers that rates are once again increasing. As part of what is frequently referred to as their ‘legacy readers,” I am not happy about this, but I will continue with my subscription, despite the fact that I
Continue readingAlberta Politics: News Satire: U.S. will not tolerate foreigners acting like Americans, officials say
ILLUSTRATIONS: A map showing some of the countries in which the United States has interfered in the political process (grabbed from Geology.com). Below: U.S. CIA Director John O. Brennan, Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candid…
Continue reading