Now For Some Real Fake News

So yesterday I posted a story from the Associated Press that said Trump is considering calling up 100,000 National Guard troops to round up illegal aliens.

A few hours later, the White House denied the story.

Some of my followers immediately posted:

Fake news.

Others posted opposing views.

There’s even a memo showing they’re considering it! How much more “not fake” can you get?

And this one.

I love how anytime it is something regarding Trump negatively that you just reply as “fake”.

Was this AP story fake news?  No.  Was the actual plan implemented?  No.  But an 11-page memo isn’t just an idea thrown out there.

So, let’s look at real fake news.  A number of people I follow have posted this over the past week.

While Justin Allen, 23, Brett Linley, 29, Matthew Weikert, 29, Justus Bartett, 27, Dave Santos, 21, Chase Stanley, 21, Jesse Reed, 26, Matthew Johnson, 21, Zachary Fisher, 24, Brandon King, 23, Christopher Goeke, 23, and Sheldon Tate, 27 are all Marines that gave their lives this week, no media mention. Because too busy covering politics and fake news. Honor THEM by reposting.

But do this.  Google the names of the Marines mentioned.  You get this post about Lindsay Lohan from 2010 using the exact same names of the dead Marines.

Lindsay Lohan, 24, is all over the news because she’s a celebrity drug addict. While Justin Allen, 23, Brett Linley, 29, Matthew Weikert, 29, Justus Bartett, 27, Dave Santos, 21, Chase Stanley, 21, Jesse Reed, 26, Matthew Johnson, 21, Zachary Fisher, 24, Brandon King, 23, Christopher Goeke, 23, and Sheldon Tate, 27 are all Marines that gave their lives this week, no media mention. Honor THEM by reposting.

Can you see the fake news here?  I have described these in my book as Weapons of Mass Distortion.
The Associated Press story is not.

Here’s the difference.

• The AP story was vetted by professionals.
• The AP used language saying the Trump White House “is considering” The Guard call-up.  They didn’t say it was going to happen.
• The fake news post above has no attribution or link.
• The fake news story above has inflammatory language.

Fake news only gains ground because of an uninformed public.  That means you and I are the gatekeepers of honesty.  And if we don’t do that, then we are guilty of sowing seeds of mistrust that will keep the U.S. from true prosperity in the 21^st Century.

Is there media bias in the news?  Yes.  I have told you that many times documenting the biases and the business structure of the media today that leads to such story slanting.

Crying media bias shows a couple of really un-American traits.

• First, you are that weak-minded that these stories and their slants will affect you?
• Second, you come across as a wound collector; someone who always believes you’re attacked.
• Third, you are only looking at one side that you root for.
• Fourth, you forget that the Constitution calls for Freedom of the Press.  Our Founding Fathers called on them to speak truth to power.

Media bias screamers forget these points.

Even though the media has its problems and ugly moments, many of the news outlets do these things:

• They have professional standards
• They vet their stories with the judgment of a number of trained people.  As a result, a reporter can’t just write a story and hit click to publish.
• These are companies face legal scrutiny.

Does that mean they get every story right? No.

Does that mean you should question everything you read or see?  Yes, you should.

Yet, too many yell “fake news” at credible news stories but fail to denounce actual fake news.

Would you do that with your investments?

Let’s say you get an email about a stock tips.  But you don’t know the person.  Would you invest?  Probably not.  If you did, the percentage of gains is low.

Why?

• There is no real information to back up the claim.
• There is no trust from the person who is probably getting paid to get your money.

So why would you do that with news?  Why would you not consider someone with credentials more than some anonymous person online?  Just because they agree with you?

Here’s another clarification.

The cable commentators on cable news are not fake news.  They indulge in opinion first and foremost.  Most of them don’t offer grossly inaccurate facts or made-up stories.  What they do is neglect facts.

Is that fake news?  No it is just slanted news: i.e. commentary.

So, let’s put aside the fake fake news rants on all sides.

 

Tagged as: fake news, memo shows Trump considering it, National Guard, rounding up illegals, Trump denies national guard story