Althouse: Fake news... we're swimming in it.

February 4, 2017

Fake news... we're swimming in it.

The only solution: Learn to swim.

The fake news is not going to stop. It's still worth saying "fake news." It stimulates better swimming.

37 comments:

Laslo Spatula said...: At least the Soviet people knew what Pravda was doing.

Our elite, not so much.

I am Laslo.; 2/4/17, 7:34 AM
Bob Boyd said...: A picture of the MSM swimming with Fake News:

http://www.alaskacommons.com/2016/04/29/weeks-top-10-internet-memes-35-3/shark-omg-something-touched-me/; 2/4/17, 7:40 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: I'd go more with the Palmolive ad from a different era: "Fake news... you're soaking in it."

Ad here.

I am Laslo.; 2/4/17, 7:41 AM
Tommy Duncan said...: “If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're mis-informed.”

― Mark Twain; 2/4/17, 7:41 AM
Hagar said...: I just read that Andrew Jackson received Aaron Burr at the White House and congratulated him for having killed that devil Hamilton.

Actually, the early years of this country was even crazier.; 2/4/17, 7:42 AM
Hagar said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/4/17, 7:42 AM
Michael K said...: The news media is all celebrating Kellyanne Conway's misstatement about a "massacre at Bowling Green." There is not one mention I can find about the fact that she meant Chattanooga, where the massacre actually took place.

Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez opened fire on two military installations in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on July 16, 2015. He first committed a drive-by shooting at a recruiting center, then traveled to a U.S. Navy Reserve center and continued firing, where he was killed by police in a gunfight. Four Marines died on the spot. A Navy sailor, a Marine recruiter, and a police officer were wounded; the sailor died from his injuries two days later.

On December 16, following an investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director James B. Comey said that the shootings were "motivated by foreign terrorist organization propaganda."

Not "fake news" but pretty close.; 2/4/17, 7:48 AM
rhhardin said...: We're swimming in fake judicial decisions too. What's with that?; 2/4/17, 7:52 AM
Birkel said...: Tommy Duncan:
And Twain was quoted by Denzel Washington in the last few days. It went viral.; 2/4/17, 7:54 AM
Guildofcannonballs said...: The majority of news, even things Wolf Blitzer would call hard news, has always been fake.

That is why Chricton wrote:

Michael Crichton > Quotes > Quotable Quote
Michael Crichton
“Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward—reversing cause and effect. I call these the "wet streets cause rain" stories. Paper's full of them.
In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story, and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate about Palestine than the baloney you just read. You turn the page, and forget what you know.”

Goodreads.com; 2/4/17, 8:06 AM
MrCharlie2 said...: I doubt that she was confusing Bowling Green with Chattanooga, since the killer in Chattanooga was raised in the US and I believe she was trying to make a connection with refugee policy. Also, like Bowling Green, the actual incident was widely reported.

A good swimming lesson courtesy of Kelly-Anne and friends.; 2/4/17, 8:09 AM
tcrosse said...: In the absence of a viable, organized Opposition Party {apart from Show Biz}, the Press has to take up the slack. Hillary's vaunted Popular Vote victory did not translate into Congressional seats, and she had foreclosed the possibility of any new up-and-coming party leadership.; 2/4/17, 8:15 AM
Lucien said...: Amusingly, we have come to a point where news from a multitude of sources is instantaneously available -- but we have to wait and sift through a couple of days of disputes and verification before getting a grip on what really happened.; 2/4/17, 8:21 AM
rhhardin said...: Maybe you're likely to prevail in a lawsuit owing to the presence of idiot judges, so you get a stay on grounds of idiot judges.; 2/4/17, 8:22 AM
traditionalguy said...: So many strokes, so few Headlines. There is the unhinged Trump shouting match-- Australian crawl. And the nude Melania as an escort-- Breast Stroke. And the Anti-Semitic/Holocaust Denial--Backstroke. And the Putin Admirer--Side Stroke.And the MLK Bust Remover--Dog Paddle; 2/4/17, 8:35 AM
Birkel said...: KellyAnn was talking about Bowling Green. Chattanooga was a successful terrorist attack under Obama's watch. That successful terrorist attack while Obama was president was perpetrated by an American.

Bowling Green was a thwarted terrorist attack but foreign nationals. Those terrorists came to America and tried to commit a mass killing under Obama's watch. Those immigrants were planning to kill Americans. Counter terrorism has to be right every time. They were right at Bowling Green.

They missed the one in Chattanooga.

PURPLE ELEPHANTS must never be mentioned. That is especially true when the PURPLE ELEPHANTS are planning mass casualty events in Obama's watch.

Leftists, do not talk about all the terrorism under Obama. PURPLE ELEPHANTS.; 2/4/17, 8:41 AM
mockturtle said...: The only solution: Learn to swim.

Or stay on dry land.; 2/4/17, 8:48 AM
Robert said...: Don't you wish there were a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence? There's one marked 'Brightness,' but it doesn't work.
--- Gallagher; 2/4/17, 9:19 AM
Paco Wové said...: Kellyanne Conway's misstatement about a "massacre at Bowling Green."

If she had just said attempted massacre, all the journolists would have had to find some other squirrel to chase.; 2/4/17, 9:28 AM
Birkel said...: No, Paco Wove. You cannot discuss that. See above at 8:41.; 2/4/17, 10:00 AM
Matt said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/4/17, 10:45 AM
Matt said...: I see a few here are going after judges now. So suddenly because you disagree with a judge they must be fake, or idiotic or not understand the Constitution? These are Middle School arguments. Are judges just supposed to let Trump do whatever Trump wants? Were there never any judges who took on Obama or Bush... Or any president?; 2/4/17, 10:51 AM
Anonymous said...: Matt, the Judge from Washington state is a Bush appointee, so the idea that he is a "fake" or his ruling is a fake is especially onerous coming from the rightists here. Trump was up early tweeting insulting things about this Federal Judge. I guess his son in law wasn't around to take away his Tweeter.; 2/4/17, 11:11 AM
Anonymous said...: Ah, I see rhhardin was just parroting Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/02/04/trump-lashes-out-at-federal-judge-who-temporarily-blocked-travel-ban/?utm_term=.bc7fcdca419c

"He also appeared to question the legitimacy of the federal judge who issued the ruling.

“The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!” Trump tweeted."; 2/4/17, 11:17 AM
DavidD said...: The Palmolive ad is exactly what came to mind, Laslo; thanks.

BTW, I once got you in trouble by ending a comment under my ID with "I am not Laslo"; I'm sorry about that.; 2/4/17, 11:19 AM
Matt said...: SandraC

Yes, I see our tweeter-in-chief is busy again this morning creating faux outrage. Of course, many of Trump's followers will send threats to the judge and attempt to force him to buckle under. The use and abuse of social media will be a major issue over the next four years with Trump right in the center of it.; 2/4/17, 11:25 AM
mockturtle said...: They should take their faux outrage elsewhere since it won't get them anywhere on this blog.; 2/4/17, 11:29 AM
Unknown said...: Ooh. Disagreeing with judges on twitter, bad ! Disagreeing with Supreme Court in the State of the Union Speech, presidential !; 2/4/17, 11:45 AM
n.n said...: Sophistry, scientific mysticism, congruence... Lies of commission, omission, and deception. Fake News. Pro-Choice forever!; 2/4/17, 11:50 AM
Michael K said...: So suddenly because you disagree with a judge they must be fake, or idiotic or not understand the Constitution? These are Middle School arguments.

Not necessarily but that was a very badly written opinion.

It's not just my or Trump's opinion.

The case is styled State of Washington et al. v. Donald J. Trump. Judge Robart disposes of the issues in a decision less than seven pages long. The heart of the court’s order, such as it is, amounts to about one page. It is entirely conclusory. If the order had been submitted to me when I was teaching legal writing at the University of St. Thomas Law School in Minneapolis I would have agonized over whether to award it a D- for satisfying the the formal requirements (barely) or flunk it outright. At American Thinker, Ed Straker finds the order wanting. Ed’s assertions are at least arguable; the judge’s decision makes no arguments.; 2/4/17, 11:56 AM
Michael K said...: The use and abuse of social media will be a major issue over the next four years with Trump right in the center of it.

The use and abuse of social media is what brought you Trump.

It's amusing you don't seem to see that.; 2/4/17, 11:58 AM
Darrell said...: Who'd ever exaggerate to make a point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjO8Qc5s1fY; 2/4/17, 12:17 PM
rcocean said...: What's striking to me is how the MSM refuses to give us and background about these legal maneuvers.

For example, how can the state of Washington sue the trump? What's their standing? How can one of 600 odd district judges rule for the entire country?

If anyone of the 650 or so, Federal judges can strike down any Federal action, then I think we need some Judicial reform because you can probably find one of 650 that will side with you on anything.; 2/4/17, 12:18 PM
rcocean said...: And who are these "Judges" anyway? From what I can tell the "Seattle Judge" was just some lawyer who campaigned for Bush and got nominated to the court 10 years ago.

Why are supposed to bow down to these legal nobody and let him overturn the President of the USA on a whim?; 2/4/17, 12:21 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: What happened to "He has made his decision. Now let him enforce it?"; 2/4/17, 6:01 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "The Palmolive ad is exactly what came to mind, Laslo; thanks."

It may be a familiar line, but it's not a good analogy.

You don't need to get a manicure, and if you do it's simply a minimal indulgence.

You do need to swim to keep from drowning.; 2/5/17, 5:53 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Familiar to old people anyway.

And it's younger people who have the most to lose.; 2/5/17, 5:54 AM