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Saturday, August 20, 2016

"Sharing False Witness"--How Facebook Has Become Farcebook

One of 6 reputable fact checking sites
"What's that smell in this room? Didn't you notice it, Brick? Didn't you notice a powerful and obnoxious odor of mendacity in this room?"
- Tennessee Williams play, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"

Facebook and other forms of social media have become virtual tabloids of re-shared half-truths, rumors and outright falsehoods, especially in this political season.

Examples:

Obama Signs Executive Order Banning The Pledge Of Allegiance In Schools Nationwide
This site uses what looks like the abc news logo, also the abcnews URL, except for an added ".co" (and the "White House Hotline" number listed is for the Westboro Baptist Church of Orlando!) See https://www.truthorfiction.com/obama-executive-order-bans-pledge-allegiance/




DNC Hires Actors to Fill Seats Vacated by Bernie Supporters
See https://www.truthorfiction.com/dnc-hired-actors-fill-seats-convention/

How Can We Counter This Kind of Misinformation?

1. Always be skeptical of social media posts. And thoroughly fact check before you share any of them.

2. Always mistrust sites that consistently represent only one side or one particular point of view, like Brietbart, the Drudge Report, the Daily Cos, and multiple other supposed "news sources". Any site names that contain the words liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat, red, blue, etc., are sure to represent some form of propaganda espousing a political party or cause.

3. Read and follow more than one news source, recognizing that no news outlet, including those representing the so-called "Lame Stream Media", is totally free of bias. Yet conventional outlets run by professional journalists who check and double check their sources--and cite multiple and diverse sources--are far, far more trustworthy than are most internet sites.

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"Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
-Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Recent interview with TV 3's Bob Corso on "Does The Truth Matter Anymore?"

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