"Fake News" Disinformation Kind: Greatest Danger to the Foundation of Trust Today

(L) Real Photograph (R) Edited and Used in “Fake News”

(Also used a fake name for Sen. Schumer)

Handy Guide to Spotting “Fake News”

A very timely subject that is a real danger to our freedom and democracy – believe it or not.

Subject: How to spot “Fake News” and not just take someone’s word for it being “Fake” – (e.g., President Trump tells us almost daily about most news he disagrees with as “Fake News,” or a “Hoax,” or worse: “Enemy of the people).

Try and follow the steps in the chart above and recall what Ronald Reagan once said – an excellent statement: “Trust but verify” –

Simple enough and can be time consuming, but worth the research: Read and analyze what you have read. Compare it all with the check list above to help you ID what is “Fake” and what is not.

The proof as they say will be in the pudding. That list above was compiled by Dr. Melissa Zimdars, Asst. Professor of Communication and Media at Merrimack College in Andover, MA (click college staff directory to confirm who she is).

BTW: This is how research works to confirm the story, ID of a person, and such – therefore proving it is true and not a “Fake news” story or a posting, or piece of information, etc.

Here is an excellent example – it goes with photo above, too, but caution – you may fall for it, too. It’s pretty easy to see the real Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and not labeled as “Robert Creamer” in the Wikispooks, isn’t it?

A simple trick that unfortunately works as many people will read it at face value and believe it – then the damage is done – correcting it will not be easy – since it will be labeled as “Fake” itself – therefore the circle continues to grow.

That is why research is so critical to find the truth and sort it out from the “fake.” It’s not hard to do, and yes, it can take time … but knowing the real from the fake is the object isn’t it?

Knowing the difference between “misinformation vs. disinformation” is the cornerstone to everything tied to our democracy, too. Faith and trust in the media, our government, and what we need to know is paramount to protecting our very freedoms and way of life.

A huge difference between the two

My 2 cents: On top of all that is this trash piece on ripping Dr. Zimdars and her research on “fake news” — this comes from one of the biggest conspiracy jerks ever, WND with this hit piece on her.

This is how the trashy game works – great example, isn’t it?

Finally this video clip is worth watching ... it hits the nail squarely on its proverbial head - video posted from Business Insider and is from Harvard Professor Steven Pinker:

Thanks for stopping by.