NewsGuard admitted Monday that many of the news outlets it labels as “credible” are guilty of spreading fake news. NewsGuard is Microsoft’s blacklisting tool, a browser plug-in that tells readers which news outlets are “credible” and which are fake news. Naturally, NewsGuard has awarded every establishment media on the planet with its “credible” rating, including those that regularly and deliberately spread fake news, such as NBC News, the Washington Post, CNN, Buzzfeed, etc.And naturally, the sites included on NewsGuard’s blacklist are anti-establishment: Breitbart, WikiLeaks, Judicial Watch, Drudge, Gateway Pundit… To understand just how unethical and deceptive NewsGuard is, I am encouraging you to read its “explanation” for blacklisting Breitbart, because as you will see for yourself, there is not a single example NewsGuard could come up with where Breitbart spread misinformation. In fact, if you read … [Read more...] about Nolte: Microsoft’s NewsGuard Blacklist Admits ‘Credible’ Outlets Spread Fake News
You are fake news
The Donald And The ‘Fake News Media’
TomDispatch, ContributorA regular antidote to the mainstream media. It may not be a love affair, but it certainly is an affair to remember. 11/19/2018 11:23 am ET This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. By Tom Engelhardt Face it: it’s been an abusive time, to use a word he likes to wield. In his telling, of course, it’s he or his people who are always the abused ones and they ― the “fake news media” ― are the abusers. But let’s be honest. You’ve been abused, too, and so have I. All of us have and by that same fake news media. It isn’t complicated, really. Thanks to them, to those cable news talking heads who never stop yammering about him, to the reporters who clamor over his every word or twitch, he’s always there, 24/7. I know that it’s still called covering the news, but it’s a phrase that no longer faintly fits the … [Read more...] about The Donald And The ‘Fake News Media’
Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg: “We absolutely did not pay anyone to create fake news”
A day after a searing investigation into Facebook by the New York Times, the company's chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, is defending herself and the social media giant. In her first interview since the story was published, Sandberg told CBS This Morning co-host Norah O'Donnell she did not know about an effort described by the Times to publish stories critical of other tech companies, an apparent attempt to deflect attention away from Facebook. The campaign was reportedly orchestrated by the consulting firm Definers Public Affairs, a Republican opposition research group hired by Facebook. "We absolutely did not pay anyone to create fake news – that they have assured me was not happening. And again, we're doing a thorough look into what happened but they have assured me that we were not paying anyone to either write or promote anything that was false. And that's very important," Sandberg said. The Times also reported that the firm tried to tie critics of Facebook to George … [Read more...] about Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg: “We absolutely did not pay anyone to create fake news”
Trump slams NYT over North Korea missile program story: ‘Just more fake news’
President Trump slammed the New York Times over its recent reporting on North Korea’s missile program.“The story in the New York Times concerning North Korea developing missile bases is inaccurate. We fully know about the sites being discussed, nothing new – and nothing happening out of the normal. Just more Fake News. I will be the first to let you know if things go bad!” Trump tweeted Tuesday. The Times reported on Monday: “North Korea is moving ahead with its ballistic missile program at 16 hidden bases that have been identified in new commercial satellite images, a network long known to American intelligence agencies but left undiscussed as President Trump claims to have neutralized the North’s nuclear threat.” It also noted that the existence of the bases “contradicts Mr. Trump’s assertion that his landmark diplomacy is leading to the elimination of a nuclear and missile program that the North had … [Read more...] about Trump slams NYT over North Korea missile program story: ‘Just more fake news’
WhatsApp to Spend $1 Million on Research to Fight ‘Fake News’
Facebook-owned WhatsApp is reportedly spending $1 million on academic research in an effort to understand and combat “fake news” and misinformation. According to Wired, the encrypted messaging service “has announced it is giving 20 different research groups $50,000 to help it understand the ways that rumors and fake news spread on its platform.”“The groups are based around the world and will be responsible for producing reports on how the messaging app has impacted certain regions,” Wired explained. “The range of areas that are being studied highlight the scale of misinformation that WhatsApp faces. One set of researchers from the U.K. and U.S. are set to see how misinformation can lead to disease outbreaks in elderly people, one will look at how information was shared on WhatsApp in the 2018 Brazilian elections and another is examining how posts can go viral on the messaging service.” This week, the BBC claimed “nationalism” … [Read more...] about WhatsApp to Spend $1 Million on Research to Fight ‘Fake News’