Fake White Nationalist Story
Dozens of media organizations fell for a hoax by internet users who had claimed that Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people at a Florida high school, was part of a white supremacist group.The fake story originated on the messaging board 4chan, where internet users came up with the hoax.
The Anti-Defamation League first picked up the story and was followed by major media outlets such as ABC and The Associated Press. Media organizations did not engage in rigorous enough fact checking to catch the fact it was a hoax.
CNN, MSNBC Promoted Russian Protests
Major American news-outlets promoted an anti-Trump protest organized by Russian nationals in New York City.An indictment of 13 Russian nationals by the office of special counsel Robert Mueller revealed that the Russians had created protests using fake social media accounts.
Media Misreports There Have Been 18 School Shootings This Year
Following the tragic school shooting in Florida, in which 17 people were killed, a number of media reported it was the 18th school shooting so far this year.The number 18, however, does not refer to what would normally be considered a school shooting. It’s the total number of gun-related incidents that happened on school properties.
Another involves a 17-year-old student who fired a gun into the floor of a classroom in the Bronx, New York.
And another one involved a third-grade student pulling the trigger of a police officer’s holstered weapon in Minnesota.
Popular Thomas Friedman Column Has Major Omission
An article by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, which he told CNN may have been the most widely circulated of his career, omitted a key piece of information.In the article, published on Feb. 13, Friedman criticized President Donald Trump for not having done enough to “defend America against a Russian campaign to divide and undermine our democracy.”
Friedman goes so far as saying it “is simply unprecedented for any U.S. president in history.”
His column, however, overlooks the fact that it was Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, who was in office when the Russians planned and staged most of their campaign.
An indictment of 13 Russian nationals by the office of special counsel Robert Mueller shows that the Russians were planning to use social media to sow discord in 2014, and actively carried out their strategy in 2016.
Not only was Obama aware of the Russian efforts, he did not do anything to stop them.
Trump, as well as the other 2016 presidential candidates, was a target of the Russian’s efforts to sow discord.
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