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Fake news October 19, 2018

Opinion: A lot of media bias in America is by popular demand

Fake news. It's a term that gets thrown around so often in the United States that it's become as much a punchline as an accusation. The President of the United States has declared the media to be an enemy of "the people." The Russian government has taken advantage of American's dwindling faith in news media to advance their own narratives inside our borders through their … [Read more…]

by · · Culture

Why ‘fake news’ works: Only a quarter of Americans can differentiate between fact and opinion based headlines

Have you ever spotted someone ranting in the comments section below a political article on Facebook and thought to yourself, "man, I don't think that guy has any idea what he's talking about?" Chances are, you were probably right. Here in the United States, the phrase "fake news" has slowly become laden with political implications. Depending on who uses the term, it can … [Read more…]

by · · Expert Analysis

CNN aided Iraq, besmirched Green Berets 20 years ago

Twenty years ago on June 7, CNN aired a new a story entitled “Valley of Death,” which twisted one of the most heroic missions during the eight-year war during the Vietnam War into an erroneous story. The claims alleged that 16 Green Berets and 120 indigenous troops on that top-secret mission deep inside Laos had destroyed a village, killed women and children, and had directed … [Read more…]

by · · Military History

Opinion: The great lie of the internet

Someone with access to the internet does not have all the world's information at their fingertips, but it certainly feels that way. The dawn of the internet shot the information age light years ahead. Resources like Wikipedia, dictionary.com, sites that compile news together from multiple sources, and access to unlimited TED talks and history documents and videos all make … [Read more…]

by · · Featured

Know what Russian news outlets are directly sponsored by the Russian government

"Fake news" is a buzzword used to describe many things these days -- from satirical news organizations, to anyone with a differing opinion, to legitimate propaganda campaigns put out by governments with ulterior motives. Regardless of how much  merit some of these things do or do not have, with the dawn of the information age has come the dawn of misinformation. Some may … [Read more…]

by · · Foreign Policy

21st Century Warfare: SOCOM places fake news, social media in its crosshairs

As tensions between global powers once again come to the forefront of the national security discussion, the United States finds itself facing not only traditional threats, but entirely new kinds of warfare borne out of rapidly advancing social technologies. Perception management, manipulation and propaganda have always played a vital role in warfare, but the advent of popular … [Read more…]

by · · Expert Analysis

Malaysia to ban ‘Fake News’

Malaysian parliament has passed a law banning all "fake news" circulating in the country. The Anti-Fake News Bill was passed by the majority of parliament, with 123 members voting in favor and 64 members voting against. The law would reportedly carry punitive measure of up to 500,000 ringitt, or almost $130,000, and jail time of up to six years. This bill is not exclusive … [Read more…]

by · · Foreign Policy

Stay TOONED: #DeleteFacebook

The social media giant is not having a very good week at all—this time under fire for a 2016 data breach to the data analytics company best known for its work on President Donald Trump's campaign, Cambridge Analytica. The events of the week even spawned a new trending hashtag: #DeleteFacebook. The sentiment has been spreading ever since whistleblower Christopher Wylie came … [Read more…]

by · · Editorial Cartoon

Filipino government escalates to criminal charges against news outlet Rappler

The Filipino government continues to go after the news and blog organization called Rappler, one of the harshest critics of their president, Rodrigo Duterte. They began by saying that Rappler was operating in violation of the Filipino constitution, since 100% of the company needed to be based in the Philippines with no outside interests. Rappler and Rappler's CEO, Maria Ressa, … [Read more…]

by · · World

ABC News suspends Brian Ross over ‘serious error’ in Michael Flynn story

ABC News has suspended Brian Ross over his faulty report about former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The network had reported that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump directed Flynn to "make contact with the Russians." It later clarified that Trump had given the instruction when he was president-elect, not a candidate. The original report shook US markets … [Read more…]

by · · Military

After Trump attack on media, ex-CIA director asks if he ‘wasted’ career

After President Donald Trump accused CNN International of being a "major source of (Fake) news" abroad, an exasperated former CIA and NSA director asked rhetorically if he had wasted much of his life in defense of the U.S. "If this is who we are or who we are becoming, I have wasted 40 years of my life," Gen. Michael Hayden, ret., wrote on Twitter in response to Trump's … [Read more…]

by · · Foreign Policy

I was a target of Russian propaganda long before the 2016 election

I've been sitting on this one for years now because I did not want to be a vehicle for Russian propaganda.  You often hear about how you have to be careful what you eat; be careful what you put in your body.  Eating fatty foods, using drugs, drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes can all be bad for your health.  When it comes to propaganda, disinformation and influence, the … [Read more…]

by · · Featured