Why fake news hysteria by the msm is more elitist hypocrisy

By
Martyn Bradbury
-
23
16

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Lot’s of noise about fake news at the moment.

Sure there were right wing operatives within the Alt-Right who were spreading falsehoods, and yes Social Media was the platform upon which those falsehoods were spread, but that was a tiny percentage of total news online in social media circles.

To try and claim ‘fake news’ was the deciding factor in the US election is so desperate to ignore the reality it’s almost embarrassing.

People who are economically hurting and feeling excluded didn’t care about the facts and the legitimate news sources, they were overloaded on information and selected the candidate who didn’t make them feel belittled.

And what exactly should be called ‘fake news’? CNNs coverage of the election? Their ridiculous pro-Clinton narrative and their utter wrongness? Is that fake news? What about closer to home. The $100 000 bottle of wine that was supposedly bought at a Labour Party fundraiser that never existed but which was heavily reported in the NZ Herald, was that fake news? What about when Rachel Glucina pretended to be a PR person to out the waitress who complained about the Prime Minister touching her? Was that fake news?

To try and blame fake news as defined by a mainstream media who lost our trust a long time ago, on the current level of political debate is intellectually shallow. It’s the sounds of gatekeepers who are complaining about their irrelevance.

If the mainstream media guardians who have helped set the conditions they now complain about want to be relevant again they need to actually acknowledge class, cultural elitism and how neoliberalism has warped politics.

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On better news, many newspapers of good standing have been flooded with new subscribers as people accept that engagement with well resourced news media is our best way forward.

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23 COMMENTS

  2. Yes Martyn you have zeroed in on who the probable “gatekeepers” are by your inferences to who is hurting the most here.

    Of course that will be who lost when the TPPA was killed Mr Sanders & Mr Trump right.

    It was the Corporate elite who own the media and who will loose the wielding of the power they thought they had as TPPA seemed a certain before that fateful day when Clinton got booted out of the political world along with Obama all who were the leaders of TPPA along with their junior NZ partner in crime John Key no less.

    We now will have the opportunity to boot Criminal proponent of TPPA the key dynasty out next year also to complete the cleaning out of this evil empire.

  3. It’s still just amazing to think how different things could have been if the DNC had been impartial in the primary and well paid lobbyists hadn’t been dispatched to whip superdelegates into line for Clinton.

  4. Totally agree. MSM set the rules of fake news and they should go down in flames with the new players of fake news.

    But I think nearly as bad as fake news is rise of sponsored content – especially as it has undue influence of the type of articles being run as well (or more importantly not run) as many people (and the arguably the most vulnerable) can’t distinguish between an ad labeled “sponsored content” and a real news story on a website, according to a Stanford University study of 7,804 students from middle school through college.

    Even worse is the rise of the media to use fake news, sponsored content and selective editing for political or financial purposes such as Spinoff lists advising people to vote Ralston in the election instead of Lee to help their developer mates cheerleading for the unitary plan.

    Personally could not care if the founders just want to make a buck and feel fulfilled writing articles about Shortland Street Power Rankings: The best Chris Warner week since 1992 or new Metallica album covers, instead of what used to be considered news, but I do mind when they then start influencing local elections, local planning rules and obviously with the amount of political attacks against the opposition, subtly gearing up as a less mainstream avenue for their advertisers in the general election.

  5. It is actually an attempt by the corporate elite who own the mainstream media to go for totalitarianism …and the EU is calling for censorship of alternative media because the neolibs in control of the EU don’t like open and free debate and a free press….these are ominous signs of incipient fascism…and a very unstable EU oligarchy

    ‘ ‘Delusional call for war’: MEPs denounce anti-Russian ‘propaganda’ resolution’
    Published time: 24 Nov, 2016 00:50

    https://www.rt.com/op-edge/367992-eu-delusional-resolution-russian-propaganda/

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-11-23/merkel-declares-war-fake-news-europe-brands-russias-rt-sputnik-dangerous-propaganda

    So this is what the EU and Merkel is objecting to in RT?…largely shows by American journalists …and the absolute best at their game…check it out:

    https://www.rt.com/shows/

  6. There clearly is fake news, and it abounds in social media, we only need to look at some links that some here do at times present.

    But we also know the MSM is mostly privately owned and controlled now, they have their own bias, they are like an old boys and old girls network, we can see it here in NZ Inc, all over the show.

    Even on RNZ I notice the absolute determination to not touch any hot potatoes, to be PC to the extreme, to never dare show any slight indication of political leaning, towards one or the other party’s position.

    While that may be good in a way, at times it is simply bizarre, as they rather deny the facts, just to appear “neutral”.

    So it goes even worse when it comes to the ratings addicted private operators, who do all to get attention, hence we have spy news about the All Blacks being bugged in a hotel in Sydney, we get a top story on an old fashioned, somewhat bizarre Muslim preacher in South Auckland, who basically only quotes their scriptures, which sadly some followers take literally.

    We get headline news when Mr Parker is going to box, and as that may mean big money for big business, that is “news” for all, presented as important.

    We have other “news” that are not informing us, that are either biased or wrong, but as they hit the ratings, they still present them, whether true or relevant or not.

    Lifestyle is a great topic, one day fat makes you slim, the other day it makes you fat, according to contradicting, hardly reliable “science”, we get news about cancer being beaten, but only rich can afford medicine costing hundreds of thousands a year.

    We get misinformation and lies, that is 24/7 on MSM, so yes, that is why “social media” took off, but there is actually a danger, of more misinformation, by MSM and SM as well, and that is where we are headed.

    No wonder more people switch off, do not care anymore, and do not even heed the warnings re climate change, they carry on as usual, and pollute and kill the planet, and the abyss is nearing.

    Maybe the old days of codes and conduct, of regulations and standards, where you reported with facts and balance, need to be revisited, or we may as well believe whatever makes us feel good, and say fuck you to the rest?

    • nonsense…you could equally argue the rise of fascism has a new tool in the corporate owned mainstream media…with its indoctrination and propaganda

  8. any properly educated free thinking person can tell the difference between what is fake news and real news but that’s the biggest problem we face and as for people that keep going on about fascism the kkk and Nazis your just giving the small number of idiots involved in those redundant cause’s publicity and spreading fear which leads to over the top reactions to basic problems.

  12. “It’s the sounds of gatekeepers who are complaining about their irrelevance.”

    OH YES!

    I have to admit a certain degree of schadenfreude watching these self proclaimed pundits dragged down from their pedestals.

    🙂

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