How great that the American information distribution system lets us see the truth, whereas the Russian one just fills heads with nonstop lies. For instance, it lets us see how America always has other countries' best interests at heart, even if the policy implementation is sometimes misguided, whereas non-allied countries are just aggressively seeking power. It's a good thing our media is dedicated to the truth, and…
A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories
51–60 of 132 posts
Re: A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
Whatever anyone's qualms about the New York Times, I find it hard to take seriously any argument that puts it on the same level as RT. The New York Times is not in fact an instrument of the US Government.
Correct. The NYT is an instrument of the Democrat party, just as Fox News is an instrument of the GOP. Journalism has abandoned the pretense of impartiality, and it is especially notable during this election cycle.
Re: A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories
#53The New York Times has a long history of cooperating with three-letter agencies as a state mouthpiece. The irony of their publishing this article is delicious.
every time Russia is mentioned on HN, folks just happen to want the narrative thread to be how unfairly persecuted Russia is by the western media.
Re: A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_you_are_lynching_Negroes
It's not just a matter of the moral equivalence of propaganda, but of credibility. When a major media outlet is pushing a narrative that supports a government agenda, skepticism is warranted.
Re: A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
every time Russia is mentioned on HN, folks just happen to want the narrative thread to be how unfairly persecuted Russia is by the western media.
It would be fair if the source of the allegations wasn't likewise tainted. Russia engages in propaganda, and this is abundantly obvious; it would be nice if those claiming such were forward and honest about their own ethical deviancies and the actions of their own state. It is tiresome to hear but one side of the concern from the media.
Re: A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
every time Russia is mentioned on HN, folks just happen to want the narrative thread to be how unfairly persecuted Russia is by the western media.
I have gotten the exact opposite impression. Maybe 25+ years ago when many Westerns on the hard left naively celebrated communism and the Soviet Union, but the only people who seem to sympathize with Russia are those on the alt-right who wish that the POTUS had the chutzpah of Putin when dealing with foreign adversaries.
Re: A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you provide some sources? Thanks.
The NYT admits in this death notice for a spy that it was it manipulated by the CIA: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/10/us/austin-goodrich-spy-who... In 1976 George HW Bush declared that the CIA wouldn't manipulate the media anymore but this NYT article from a couple months later shows the feds backpedaling on that promise, along with some specific examples of media manipulation from the time: http://www.nytimes.com/1…
It's likely that the state agencies have learned to better avoid the exposure of these sorts of programs.
Regardless, The Intercept has more than a few stories[0], and Chomsky has shared his opinion[1]. Then there's the small matter of this[2]. And on and on; much of it is hard to verify, like Eglin Air Force base and its Reddit links.
0: https://www.google.ca/search?q=site%3Atheintercept.com+new+y...
1: http://www.salon.com/2015/05/25/noam_chomsky_the_new_york_ti...
2: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130715/11210223804/anti-...
Re: A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories
#58How great that the American information distribution system lets us see the truth, whereas the Russian one just fills heads with nonstop lies. For instance, it lets us see how America always has other countries' best interests at heart, even if the policy implementation is sometimes misguided, whereas non-allied countries are just aggressively seeking power. It's a good thing our media is dedicated to the truth, and…
You are rebutting an argument the New York Times piece is not making.
Re: A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are rebutting an argument the New York Times piece is not making.
It doesn't need to be. It is implied. Sort of how food manufacturers make favorable and technically correct claims about their food but with the implication that competitors lack the claimed positive trait. Talking about someone else's flaws is also a way of distracting from one's own.
Re: A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories
#60A Powerful Election Weapon: The Use of the Russian Boogey Man
That it can be used in a way you condemn doesn't mean it's not real. Or that it's not being used.