1. This meme went viral on social media. The post claims that this is from the Dakota Access Pipeline protests of 2016. It is actually a picture of the Woodstock Festival from 1969.
2. Counselor to President Trump Kellyanne Conway cited on more than one occasion the “Bowling Green Massacre” to justify his immigration policies. No attack ever took place.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/02/06/kellyanne-conways-bowling-green-massacre-wasnt-a-slip-of-the-tongue-shes-said-it-before/
3. President Trump calls his critics in the media “Fake News”, but what are the criteria he is using to decide that? Is the alleged connection between Trump administration officials and Russia real news? Is President Trump's attack on the media a form of propaganda?
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/01/as-russia-story-clouds-presidency-trump-calls-controversy-fake-news-total-scam.html
4. Radio host Alex Jones apologized for the “Pizzagate” hoax. This was a fake news story repeated by Jones on his radio show about a pedophilia ring being run by Hillary Clinton and other liberal politicians out of a pizzeria in Washington, D.C.
5. Satirical sites like The Onion or The Borowitz Report, and television shows like The Daily Show present humorous takes on current events. In the case of The Onion or The Borowitz Report, fake news stories are created that satirize something about society. In the case of The Daily Show and shows like it, most of what they are reporting on is meant to be real, but with a humorous take and a political bias.
This is a controversial viral infographic that attempts to chart the bias and "quality" of leading news organizations. The source is highly problematic, as is deciding where to place each news organization on the chart, but this is the kind of thing that grabs attention. Is it fake news? Does it have some value?
The fact of the matter is, no matter how much you know about the media and about politics, opinions are subjective. I disagree with MOST of the placements of news outlets on this chart, but that could also be a factor of how they have changed over time since this graphic was created.
Another flaw in this chart is the idea that political positions can be broken down neatly into left and right. Graphical representations of "left" versus "right" in politics serve a function in understanding ideas, but they are not the be all end all. The most important factors in understanding news outlets are:
1. Are they factually accurate?
2. Are they logical in the formulation of their opinions.
If they don't meet both of these criteria, then they are not worth your time.
Another, even more important criteria is ARE THEY MORAL/ETHICAL. Please check your own bias and decide what kind of world you want to live in!
The point is, that we all need to read different sources from across the political spectrum if we are to be well informed citizens, and being well informed is the duty of all citizens in a republic. I wish I had an easier answer, but like anything in life, hard work and diligence are what pay off in the end because that is what works.
