America’s Misinformation Crisis

[UNCatTech]

Yes, but just to be sure GA passed a stupid law to hand count ballots.
I mean with all this fake voter fraud you can't be too careful, right?

Georgia's State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of paper ballots

Three Republican board members who were praised by former President Donald Trump during a rally last month in Atlanta voted to approve the measure, while the lone Democrat on the board and the nonpartisan chair voted to reject it.

www.pbs.org

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s State Election Board on Friday voted to approve a new rule that requires poll workers to count the number of paper ballots by hand after voting is completed, a change that critics worry could delay the reporting of election night results.

The board’s decision went against the advice of the state attorney general’s office, the secretary of state’s office and an association of county election officials. Three Republican board members who were praised by former President Donald Trump during a rally last month in Atlanta voted to approve the measure, while the lone Democrat on the board and the nonpartisan chair voted to reject it.


These maga idiots prove over and over again that they are behind the cult no matter how stupid the ask.

 

[nycfan]

On top of everything else, Trump is being “interviewed” here by a “reporter” who refers to the Biden Administration as “the regime” …

 

[Mulberry Heel]

On top of everything else, Trump is being “interviewed” here by a “reporter” who refers to the Biden Administration as “the regime” …

Professional, straight news American journalism has been dying a slow death for decades, but I do think Trump, covid, and social media have finally and completely destroyed it. There are very few places anymore where you can find old-school straight news, and there are no Ted Koppels, Peter Jennings, Walter Cronkites, John Chancellors, etc. anymore. An appalling number of modern talking heads on so-called "news" networks are actually former political aides or hacks for one of the two major parties who discovered that there is good money to be made in television news, and so they left politics and are now talking heads on TV news. And editorial/opinion content has replaced straight news on most news networks. On Fox pretty much every show from 7 PM to midnight on weekdays is nothing but right-wing opinion programs masquerading as news programs, and CNN and MSNBC aren't much better.

 

[heelinhell]

Professional, straight news American journalism has been dying a slow death for decades, but I do think Trump, covid, and social media have finally and completely destroyed it. There are very few places anymore where you can find old-school straight news, and there are no Ted Koppels, Peter Jennings, Walter Cronkites, John Chancellors, etc. anymore. An appalling number of modern talking heads on so-called "news" networks are actually former political aides or hacks for one of the two major parties who discovered that there is good money to be made in television news, and so they left politics and are now talking heads on TV news. And editorial/opinion content has replaced straight news on most news networks. On Fox pretty much every show from 7 PM to midnight on weekdays is nothing but right-wing opinion programs masquerading as news programs, and CNN and MSNBC aren't much better.

I am rewatching "Newsroom" which aired 2012-2014. It warns us of the demise of journalism and although the episodes are 10-12 years old, they are as current as today.

 

[Mulberry Heel]

I am rewatching "Newsroom" which aired 2012-2014. It warns us of the demise of journalism and although the episodes are 10-12 years old, they are as current as today.

I recently saw a UK Channel 4 documentary on the massive fires that are devastating parts of Australia and the effect it's having on the people and animal life there, and how it is a sign of global warming and climate change. It was straightforward and well-done, and it occurred to me as I watched just how few news documentaries like that are made in the USA anymore. Everything in the US media market is aimed at entertainment, opinion, and ratings - covering actual news and going in-depth into a subject has gone the way of the dinosaurs, apparently.

 

[ZenMode]

So you are only interested in combatting misinformation that aligns with your own point of view? That’s…exactly why we are in the situation that we are in currently. A perfect example proving my point.

I’ve been pointing out misinformation for over 10 years. It is telling that some people get very angry when they fall victim to it.

The other issue is that what people are inclined to see as truth vs misinformation is skewed by their bias and/or political leanings. If the aforementioned report about Michael Brown corroborated what a specific group of people want to believe, they're likely to give it much more credence than if it didn't. Another example is the Mueller report. Despite the fact that the report says there's no evidence that Trump collided with Russia, I still run into people who a) believe he did or b) believe the report says he did.

The other issue is the media. George Floyd and Tony Timpa are basically identical situations. Why have few people heard of Tony Timpa? He was a white drug user who died while being held, face-down, by cops, so the story got SIGNIFICANTLY less coverage. Why did it get significantly less coverage? Because white cops killing black guys gets ratings. White cops killing white guys doesn't.

 

[lawtig02]

Another example is the Mueller report. Despite the fact that the report says there's no evidence that Trump collided with Russia, I still run into people who a) believe he did or b) believe the report says he did.

I can’t believe folks like you are still getting this wrong after all this time.

Mueller refutes Trump’s ‘no collusion, no obstruction’ line

‘We focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.’

www.politico.eu

Former special counsel Robert Mueller pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s characterizations of his 22-month investigation, telling lawmakers on Wednesday that he did not evaluate “collusion” with the Russian government, and confirming that his report did not conclude that there was “no obstruction” of the probe.

“The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed,” Mueller told the House judiciary committee, adding that Trump could theoretically be indicted after he leaves office.

“We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term,” Mueller added. “Rather, we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.”

 

[finesse]

When are you two going to be interested in the difference between individual cases and misinformation as the mainstay of a national political party?

I completely agree that both are worth addressing. If you were doing triage, which would be your priority?

 

[2ManyBlueCups]

The other issue is that what people are inclined to see as truth vs misinformation is skewed by their bias and/or political leanings. If the aforementioned report about Michael Brown corroborated what a specific group of people want to believe, they're likely to give it much more credence than if it didn't. Another example is the Mueller report. Despite the fact that the report says there's no evidence that Trump collided with Russia, I still run into people who a) believe he did or b) believe the report says he did.

The other issue is the media. George Floyd and Tony Timpa are basically identical situations. Why have few people heard of Tony Timpa? He was a white drug user who died while being held, face-down, by cops, so the story got SIGNIFICANTLY less coverage. Why did it get significantly less coverage? Because white cops killing black guys gets ratings. White cops killing white guys doesn't.

I see your point regarding the reaction to Floyd and Timpa. There were other incidents that also made me beg the same question. Why is Mike Brown a household name whereas the Black man who stopped to shake a cop's hand in Texas and was shot to death while doing so is not? Why were there riots after an armed man was killed in Charlotte but none when an unarmed woman with a pot of water was shot and killed in Ohio (or wherever it was)? All of these people involved in each incident were Black, so it wasn't a racial thing. Rosa Parks wasn't the first Black woman to refuse to sit in the back of a bus, but civil rights leaders waited for Parks because they wanted to have the right person to make the face of the movement. If the BLM movement had attempted to lionize actual innocent victims instead of a strange assortment of random Black people who were shot, they might have accomplished more of their goals.

 

[2ManyBlueCups]

When are you two going to be interested in the difference between individual cases and misinformation as the mainstay of a national political party?

I completely agree that both are worth addressing. If you were doing triage, which would be your priority?

There isn't even a valid comparison. The DNC has been duped a time or two in recent history, which I have brought up. The GOP hasn't been duped....they rely on misinformation of their own making as a strategy in order to intentionally mislead people and capitalize on that division. The GOP is a much bigger problem right now. Orders of magnitude bigger. To use a medical analogy, the DNC's history of misinformation would be akin to an acne scar on someone's nose. Noticeable if you look hard enough, but not really worthy of any significant medical attention. The GOP would be more like metastatic cancer invading every single organ and body system. Imminently life-threatening, growing rapidly, and sucking the life out of our nation as fast as it can.

 

[StrangePackage]

The other issue is the media. George Floyd and Tony Timpa are basically identical situations. Why have few people heard of Tony Timpa? He was a white drug user who died while being held, face-down, by cops, so the story got SIGNIFICANTLY less coverage. Why did it get significantly less coverage? Because white cops killing black guys gets ratings. White cops killing white guys doesn't.

Could it also be that the only video of his murder was on the body camera of the officer and was not released for more than three years due to stonewalling by the Dallas PD? Every person in the country saw George Floyd get murdered because of the cell phone footage. Most people didn't hear about Timpa because the police lied and refused to release the body camera footage.

It's a tragedy that the officers involved in the Timpa murder weren't charged. But the fact that you only bring him up in the context of the George Floyd murder leads me to believe you don't actually care that he was murdered by police who faced no consequences, and are merely looking to be a shitass.

 

[MendotoManteo]

The other issue is that what people are inclined to see as truth vs misinformation is skewed by their bias and/or political leanings. If the aforementioned report about Michael Brown corroborated what a specific group of people want to believe, they're likely to give it much more credence than if it didn't. Another example is the Mueller report. Despite the fact that the report says there's no evidence that Trump collided with Russia, I still run into people who a) believe he did or b) believe the report says he did.

The other issue is the media. George Floyd and Tony Timpa are basically identical situations. Why have few people heard of Tony Timpa? He was a white drug user who died while being held, face-down, by cops, so the story got SIGNIFICANTLY less coverage. Why did it get significantly less coverage? Because white cops killing black guys gets ratings. White cops killing white guys doesn't.

Speaking of misinformation, we know for a fact the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. (The degree to which and how it affected - or did not affect - the election, however, remains unknown.) We know for a fact because we know the following:

1. The Trump Tower meeting happened.
2. His campaign manager gave internal polling to a known GRU agent.
3. He was seeking a Trump Tower Moscow as late as 2015, after he announced his candidacy.
4. His would-be national security advisor openly attended Kremlin dinners with Putin

The campaign absolutely colluded with the Russian government. As Lawtig correctly points out, however, "collusion" is not a crime, as the Mueller report states. And no one cooperated with his investigation so no criminal charges relating to conspiracy were ever brought.

Now, anyone who thinks actual votes were somehow changed by Russian hacking in 2016, yes, they're morons.

 

[superrific]

Another example is the Mueller report. Despite the fact that the report says there's no evidence that Trump collided with Russia, I still run into people who a) believe he did or b) believe the report says he did.

This was the primary purpose of this digression. He's just been setting up some trolling.

 

[UNCatTech]

The other issue is the media. George Floyd and Tony Timpa are basically identical situations. Why have few people heard of Tony Timpa? He was a white drug user who died while being held, face-down, by cops, so the story got SIGNIFICANTLY less coverage. Why did it get significantly less coverage? Because white cops killing black guys gets ratings. White cops killing white guys doesn't.

I don't recall anyone arguing that the police never treat anyone other than black people wrong. But it is disproportionate to black people.

This story is bad and another reason to do away with qualified immunity.

 

[UNCatTech]

Could it also be that the only video of his murder was on the body camera of the officer and was not released for more than three years due to stonewalling by the Dallas PD? Every person in the country saw George Floyd get murdered because of the cell phone footage. Most people didn't hear about Timpa because the police lied and refused to release the body camera footage.

It's a tragedy that the officers involved in the Timpa murder weren't charged. But the fact that you only bring him up in the context of the George Floyd murder leads me to believe you don't actually care that he was murdered by police who faced no consequences, and are merely looking to be a shitass.

It appears that they were charged, and the charges dropped. It's a shame that the police were not charged and convicted.

 

[heelinhell]

Speaking of misinformation, we know for a fact the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. (The degree to which and how it affected - or did not affect - the election, however, remains unknown.) We know for a fact because we know the following:

1. The Trump Tower meeting happened.
2. His campaign manager gave internal polling to a known GRU agent.
3. He was seeking a Trump Tower Moscow as late as 2015, after he announced his candidacy.
4. His would-be national security advisor openly attended Kremlin dinners with Putin

The campaign absolutely colluded with the Russian government. As Lawtig correctly points out, however, "collusion" is not a crime, as the Mueller report states. And no one cooperated with his investigation so no criminal charges relating to conspiracy were ever brought.

Now, anyone who thinks actual votes were somehow changed by Russian hacking in 2016, yes, they're morons.

I encourage you to be a more active poster on this board

 

[ZenMode]

I can’t believe folks like you are still getting this wrong after all this time.

Mueller refutes Trump’s ‘no collusion, no obstruction’ line

‘We focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.’

www.politico.eu

Former special counsel Robert Mueller pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s characterizations of his 22-month investigation, telling lawmakers on Wednesday that he did not evaluate “collusion” with the Russian government, and confirming that his report did not conclude that there was “no obstruction” of the probe.

“The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed,” Mueller told the House judiciary committee, adding that Trump could theoretically be indicted after he leaves office.

“We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term,” Mueller added. “Rather, we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.”

Incorrect terminology aside,

I can’t believe folks like you are still getting this wrong after all this time.

Mueller refutes Trump’s ‘no collusion, no obstruction’ line

‘We focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.’

www.politico.eu

Former special counsel Robert Mueller pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s characterizations of his 22-month investigation, telling lawmakers on Wednesday that he did not evaluate “collusion” with the Russian government, and confirming that his report did not conclude that there was “no obstruction” of the probe.

“The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed,” Mueller told the House judiciary committee, adding that Trump could theoretically be indicted after he leaves office.

“We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term,” Mueller added. “Rather, we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.”

Yes I used the wrong term. Collusion and conspiracy are a reference to the same accusation again Trump and the Trump campaign in regard to Russia's social media interfere in the election. Regardless of the term, the Mueller report clears Trump and the Trump campaign of being involved in that social media campaign.

 

[lawtig02]

Incorrect terminology aside,

Yes I used the wrong term. Collusion and conspiracy are a reference to the same accusation again Trump and the Trump campaign in regard to Russia's social media interfere in the election. Regardless of the term, the Mueller report clears Trump and the Trump campaign of being involved in that social media campaign.

No, it did not. Have you read the report?

 

[ZenMode]

I don't recall anyone arguing that the police never treat anyone other than black people wrong. But it is disproportionate to black people.

This story is bad and another reason to do away with qualified immunity.

Police treat both wrong, but if it's a black person that's killed by police, it gets significantly more coverage. Everyone's heard of George Floyd. Almost nobody has heard of Tony Timpa. That's not a coincidence.

 

[ZenMode]

No, it did not. Have you read the report?

Yes. It's been awhile, but I've read many parts more than once.

To clarify, there were two parts. I don't remember which is which, but the one that talks about the social media campaign and Trump's campaign involvement or lack of involvement in this case.