I Don’T Like It, Therefore It’S ‘Fake News’

[sp1814]

According to a recent Gallop poll in the US, 42% of Republicans believe accurate, but negative, stories qualify as ‘fake news’

The figure for Democrats is 17%.

17% is bad enough, but four in ten Republicans?

Is this something that should be blamed on the news media, or social media, PR companies or news consumers?

[mikey4444]

Thanks YMB............its clear then, that you don't know why Republicans refuse to believe accurate stories.

[ichkeria]

"I suspect that the poll didnt try to give a definition of Fake News. "

I agree. Which actually makes the finding not all that surprising.
In fact I'm if anything surprised they aren't higher.

[youngmafbog]

What I said, if you would READ IT is that I suspect the definition of 'Fake News was not given. Many will assume, as I did it includes the 'inaccurate' stories. Which in my opinion many are fake news they are designed to have the same negative effect.

Without seeing Gallops question it is very difficult to know one way or another as ulike you I dont have a crystal ball to hand.

[youngmafbog]

I agree Ick.

It is getting so difficult to know what to believe these days!

[mikey4444]

YMB...perhaps it would help if SP were to include the source for his post.

Meanwhile, back at the Ranch, here are some other news from Gallup ::::

http://wqad.com/2018/01/16/gallup-trump-approval-rating-after-first-year-in-office-lowest-in-history/

[vetuste_ennemi]

I would like to know more about this survey, SP. Like its exact wording, its sample size, geographic and demographic spread and weighting methodology. I see everybody who wants to believe its (highly) implausible conclusions seem to be taking the poll on trust.

[Gromit]

AB News is ample evidence that people believe what they want to believe.

Newspapers and tv tend to have some form of regulation. There are people you can complain to if you believe a report to be false, and retractions and apologies are printed and aired. But the internet is unregulated. Anyone can set up a website and wrote nonsense. The alt-right seem particularly adept at writing untruthful news because they have a large uneducated viewership who lap it up. Links spread through social media mean the distribution of untrue news is very efficient.

We must also remember that foreign hostile countries (Russia mainly) have large teams of facebook and twitter users with multiple false accounts, to target countries to spread division and tension. The US election and the Brexit referendum suffered from Russian false news creation.

[vetuste_ennemi]

//We must also remember that foreign hostile countries (Russia mainly) have large teams of facebook and twitter users with multiple false accounts, to target countries to spread division and tension. The US election and the Brexit referendum suffered from Russian false news creation.//

I see your Russian subversion and raise you a George Soros.

[Mamyalynne]

https://kf-site-production.s3.amazonaws.com/publications/pdfs/000/000/242/original/KnightFoundation_AmericansViews_Client_Report_010917_Final_Updated.pdf

[Kromovaracun]

It is eminently possible to avoid being fooled by fake (or inaccurate) news. If you can be bothered to check. The issue is that the vast majority of people - the proverbial man or woman on the street - do not know how to think. Largely because they haven't been taught.

[ichkeria]

Further to what Gromit said, it isn't only Russia's notorious St Petersburg troll farm plaguing the internet,, but their state TV do the same thing on mainstream schedules.

[vetuste_ennemi]

Thank you, Mamya.

[Mamyalynne]

You're welcome.

[vetuste_ennemi]

Found the bit referred to in the OP.

Q: You may have heard the term “fake news,” which refers to inaccurate information presented as an objective news story and designed to deceive people in some way. How often do you think each of the following situations represents “fake news”?

(a) PEOPLE KNOWINGLY PORTRAYING FALSE
INFORMATION AS IF IT WERE TRUE
Sometimes: 46%
Always: 48%

(b) JOURNALISTS REPORTING STORIES BEFORE
THEY CHECK ALL THEIR FACTS AND
SOURCES TO BE SURE THEY ARE ACCURATE
Sometimes: 57%
Always: 35%

(c) NEWS ORGANIZATIONS SLANTING THEIR STORIES
TO PROMOTE A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW
Sometimes: 56%
Always: 35%

(d) ACCURATE STORIES CASTING A POLITICIAN
OR POLITICAL GROUP IN A NEGATIVE LIGHT
Sometimes: 51%
Always: 28%

With this comment:

Republicans hold much more expansive definitions of “fake news” than Democrats do. Four in 10 Republicans say accurate stories that portray political leaders or groups in a negative light are always "fake news”, roughly the same percentage of Democrats who believe that knowingly portraying false information as true constitutes “fake news.” Young adults are most likely to say knowingly passing off false information is always “fake news.”

This confuses me mightily. By the normal meaning of words (a) is always "fake news", isn't? And (d) never (although it might be propaganda).

[vetuste_ennemi]

Here's a demographic breakdown of (d) in my previous post:

(percentages of each group thinking it ALWAYS, SOMETIMES or NEVER constitutes "fake news")

% All 28 51 19
% 18-29 years old 27 45 26
% 30-49 years old 25 50 23
% 50-64 years old 30 53 14
% 65+ years old 30 55 11
% White 29 49 19
% Black 22 54 18
% Hispanic 26 55 15
% Democrat 17 55 25
% Independent 26 50 22
% Republican 42 46 10