How Big Is The Fake News Problem?

[FredClogs]

rxe said:

Well, if this is even 10% true, we have an absolute crisis of competence on our hands. It would blow the 45 minute dodgy dossier clean out of the water:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-10/4chan-cla...

No idea as to the veracity, but it is so bonkers, you couldn't make it up.

Jesus.

The intelligence community is in real crisis. The idea the Russians are blackmailing Trump and helped get him elected to pull his strings is already mai stream conspiracy, he's not even been inaugurated.

It's going to get worse and the victor will be Trump and Putin and the sort of clinical minds who can ignore the "intelligence" for what it is and concentrate on filling their pockets.

[768]

Doesn't read like it's that bad to me, albeit a bit embarrassing.

US intel receive document via the media from a Brit (who doesn't work for an agency, but has previously been useful) with allegations. Allegations about Trump it then shares with Trump, which if they were true is probably a better idea than searching for them through Google.

Sound like it's within the remit of their job. No one's gone to war on it.

[rxe]

The outcome is not as bad - you're right, no one has died.

But - IF it is true (and it is a big IF at this stage) the most capable intelligence agency on the planet has been trolled by a gang of internet trouble makers, and published false accusations about their own president (elect).

It would call into question every piece of intelligence that they produce. If they are getting trolled by a bunch of amateurs, how often are they being trolled by the professionals?

[768]

Probably no more than they troll others. Their document hasn't been published, has it? And their document was only an appendix to what I assume was the good stuff.

I wouldn't expect an intelligence agency to only deal in facts, so long as it caveats what's unconfirmed appropriately.

[DMN]

Russia is using Fake News as a strategic weapon:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/11/russ...

[FredClogs]

Hypernormalisation - -if you haven't seen it yet watch it.

The soviets learned a thing or two about how to control people. Trump is a marketing genius, a son of Madison Avenue.

May we live in interesting times.

[rxe]

768 said:

Probably no more than they troll others. Their document hasn't been published, has it? And their document was only an appendix to what I assume was the good stuff.

I wouldn't expect an intelligence agency to only deal in facts, so long as it caveats what's unconfirmed appropriately.

I don't think they publish stuff in the conventional sense. Mainstream sources are publishing that this document has been shown to Trump an others in US government, and that it was written by US intelligence. Do we trust the mainstream - no idea.

One would have thought that if the US intelligence services are going to show their own president information about him asking prostitutes to piss on a bed, they would have worked hard to get it right!

[hyphen]

Cracking down on fake news...

[FredClogs]

hyphen said:

Cracking down on fake news...

Well as long as the government are going to pass laws on what the media can do and say we have nothing to worry about.

[768]

rxe said:

Mainstream sources are publishing that this document has been shown to Trump an others in US government, and that it was written by US intelligence. Do we trust the mainstream - no idea.

I think there's two documents.

One is ~35 pages, has been published and we've seen the contents. It was not written by US intelligence.

One is a ~2 page report on the ~35 page document, which was an appendix to a separate document, it was written by US intelligence and I don't think it's been published, I don't think we've seen the contents.

[williamp]

US using fake news story about Russia to highten security fears

http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/312466-rus...

[rxe]

Not sure. The best I can discern is that the 35 page document was written by someone (ex-British intelligence?) who gave it to US intelligence and the US intelligence just believed it and then passed it around US government. That's shambolic if true and lots of people need to find alternative employment.

Who knows. All I do know is that the whole thing is an utter shambles and if you asked me the question "which news source do you trust", my only answer is "I have no bloody idea".

[scherzkeks]

hyphen said:

Cracking down on fake news...

[hyphen]

[Esseesse]

FredClogs said:

Hypernormalisation - -if you haven't seen it yet watch it.

The soviets learned a thing or two about how to control people. Trump is a marketing genius, a son of Madison Avenue.

May we live in interesting times.

I don't think this is anything to do with the Russians. The 'fake news' is coming from the panicked political/media establishment, Russia is the convenient bogeyman and anyone against the political/media establishment are of course allied with the bogeyman.

So transparent they're digging their own graves.

[FredClogs]

Esseesse said:

FredClogs said:

Hypernormalisation - -if you haven't seen it yet watch it.

The soviets learned a thing or two about how to control people. Trump is a marketing genius, a son of Madison Avenue.

May we live in interesting times.

I don't think this is anything to do with the Russians. The 'fake news' is coming from the panicked political/media establishment, Russia is the convenient bogeyman and anyone against the political/media establishment are of course allied with the bogeyman.

So transparent they're digging their own graves.

I doubt Putin and China and half a dozen other lesser y world leaders (Venezuala, North Korea, Assad etc etc...) aren't going to do whatever they can in the next few weeks to test Trump. See China driving their Navy through through the strait of Tawain yesterday. Russia are expert media and truth manipulators and even better at gathering covert intel.

[BlackLabel]

An interesting way to put it.

"Pope Francis: Fake news is like getting sexually aroused by faeces

God's representative on Earth excused himself for any offence caused by his terms"

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.independent.co.uk...

[scherzkeks]

FredClogs said:

Esseesse said:

FredClogs said:

Hypernormalisation - -if you haven't seen it yet watch it.

The soviets learned a thing or two about how to control people. Trump is a marketing genius, a son of Madison Avenue.

May we live in interesting times.

I don't think this is anything to do with the Russians. The 'fake news' is coming from the panicked political/media establishment, Russia is the convenient bogeyman and anyone against the political/media establishment are of course allied with the bogeyman.

So transparent they're digging their own graves.

I doubt Putin and China and half a dozen other lesser y world leaders (Venezuala, North Korea, Assad etc etc...) aren't going to do whatever they can in the next few weeks to test Trump. See China driving their Navy through through the strait of Tawain yesterday. Russia are expert media and truth manipulators and even better at gathering covert intel.

I would suggest Assad is probably quite relieved the US will no longer be aiding Al-Quaida in trying to overthrow his government over a pipeline.

[Jasandjules]

It's a huge problem. The UK's taxation system is affected directly the the AGW Fake News - often perpetuated by the BBC who have billions of pounds invested in it too...

[SKP555]

Jasandjules said:

It's a huge problem. The UK's taxation system is affected directly the the AGW Fake News - often perpetuated by the BBC who have billions of pounds invested in it too...

I think it's only horror-panic-legislate fake news when the government disagree with it.