Let's talk about Fake News...

[hjmick]

By now everyone knows about the outcome of the first Michael Slager (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/12/05/mistrial-declared-in-case-of-south-carolina-officer-who-shot-walter-scott-after-traffic-stop/?utm_term=.094cae6acd58 ) trial here in Charleston...

But did you hear about the protests? Did you see the pictures?

Here, courtesy of NBC's The Today Show:

http://www.trbimg.com/img-58488200/turbine/bal-nbc-news-wrong-again-image--baltimore-2016-001/750/750x422

NBC and The Today Show ran is photo to show the people of Charleston taking to the streets to protest the mistrial verdict. Apparently the truth just didn't make for good copy:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CzFyjjYWIAA_LzH.jpg

That's right...

They issued an apology today, offered no explanation as to how a photo of a Baltimore protest about Freddie Gray from 2015 could have possibly been mistaken for Charleston 2016...


How about they needed optics to better fit their narrative and the calm, restrained demeanor of the people of Charleston didn't work?

[gabosaurus]

Fake news has been around for quite a while now.
When I went to NYC to protest the Bush inauguration in 2004, I found out first hand how desperate the news media are to create news and scoop each other.
Of all the protests I have been to, about 90 percent of them are peaceful. News people run around in a desperate search for the other 10 percent.
Police were working 12-hour shifts without meal breaks. Protestors and delegates alike bought them food and drink. That never ended up on the news. A newspaper cameraman offered me money to throw a rock through a store window.

You want to know why fake news exists? Advertisers like it because people read it. Pretty sad that people believe fake news more than real stories.

[Elessar]

Fake news has been around for quite a while now.
When I went to NYC to protest the Bush inauguration in 2004, I found out first hand how desperate the news media are to create news and scoop each other.
Of all the protests I have been to, about 90 percent of them are peaceful. News people run around in a desperate search for the other 10 percent.
Police were working 12-hour shifts without meal breaks. Protestors and delegates alike bought them food and drink. That never ended up on the news. A newspaper cameraman offered me money to throw a rock through a store window.

You want to know why fake news exists? Advertisers like it because people read it. Pretty sad that people believe fake news more than real stories.

Did you accept the money?:laugh:

Fake news exists because SENSATION sells...and virtually all 'journalists" (a loose term) want a scoop
or have wet dreams of earning a Pulitzer.