Why

I have been looking for fake news articles and have come to find that there are several but then I started to think about our hashtag project. Allot of these articles that we write about are fake but they also show something about our people and the what they must say. It gives an understanding of some peoples skepticism towards the news that’s put out into the world.

The fake news that comes out of the many different sources are interesting to read and give an inside it these skeptics. They write about what they see or their thoughts. Yes, it’s coming out of the air but there had to be some thought into these fake articles. The story surrounding the bugs in Trump Tower for example it could have been just a joke but once it came to light it brought new questions and made more people think about these fake articles. The make others question what’s going on around them. This is good in the one fact that information is being put out there.

Now that people are reading these Fake News articles there needs to be a slow stop to it, but not a complete stop just down enough that it’s understood as Fake News. The only way this could happen is awareness of the Fake News outlets. Most big-time news outlets have little to no fake news but they won’t say its fake because a writer needs a source, primary or secondary, so they should make a section for the fake news. Put another tab called “Fake” so people can read these articles

Free visa waiver from Ghana to USA?

Fake news is really becoming a problem, it’s everywhere and readers will never know until they go to the right source. Fake news is not only happening in the United States its happening everywhere around us. People in the USA and most of Europe can back off fake news because they can confirm most of the news on reliable news network. For example, if a person thinks CNN is being bias they can change the channel to FOX NEWS to get a different point of view or even read on article on a local news channel website.

Some of the readers in most third world countries don’t have the same opportunity as readers in first world countries. Technology and Social media is making it possible for everyone to have the same information. Not everyone around the world has a smartphone to communicate with each other but they are trying to reach out to people. A person in Nairobi, Kenya with a smartphone can download twitter and follow popular news broadcasters to know what’s going on. Same as a person living in Texas, USA or Munich, Germany. 

Not everyone with a smartphone has access to news, for example state government like China have web censor which limit them to get information from different website and social medias. 

Most readers get information from Social media, taking a look at a few blog post back, Social Media has a huge impact in fake news. If fake news was a person, social media would be the head or the brain controlling it.

Donald Trump signs a visa-free travel policy in Ghana, Trump this, Trump that, this article actually talks about how President Trump signed a free wavier that all Ghanaians could travel to the United states without a visa. This measure was imposed because he wanted to strengthen the trades between USA and Ghana. The article also talks about how Pres. Trump have also signed constructions of the controversial Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipeline. There was a buzz on social media; Facebook went crazy.

President Trump never signed anything and he’s not even thinking on doing it. It’s just a rumor going around to make President Trump look good because most of the African Nations disagree with him.

U.S Embassy in Ghana made a statement on Facebook telling people to calm down it’s just a rumor going around. They shouldn’t believe everything shared on their wall, if anything they should check the U.S Embassy website or social media for a confirmation like this. The comment section shows how people were surprised the information they got was fake news. 

U.S Embassy in Ghana's account was verified on facebook, people were quick to ask questions. These examples shows how social media can spread fake news internationally in a matter of seconds. 

Fake new Is everywhere.

 No matter what is the news, there is someone who is posting something fake about it.  We need to fight fake news, so it doesn’t take over us. One person that thinks he is fighting fake new is the Syrian president. He claims that  “Report accusing regime of torture is 'fake news'”. He is saying that regarding the hugely exaggerating report on the number of inmates killed in the Syrian prison.

Syrian President Bashar Assad blasted an Amnesty International report declaring rampant human rights violations in one of his country’s military prisons, calling the findings “fake news” and suggesting that the human rights group simply made up evidence.

Amnesty International recently reported 13,000 inmates at a Syrian military prison were killed between 2011 and the end of 2015. Assad rejected the report’s findings outright, contending that the interviews meant nothing, because “you can forge anything these days.”


Amnesty's university has not been in Syria nor received any real and credible information on the report however amnesty news said that it  has no evidence of executions after December 2015, but based on information that the facility is still being used to imprison innocent people  , "there is no reason to believe the executions have stopped." It is extremely hard to witness the events since it was a time of war. It is hard to find out the real number of inmates killed.

We need to fight the fake news. One way people  has taken action this year, is fact-checkers around the world are taking a stand in favor of facts.They have declared April 2 — the day after April Fool’s Day — as International Fact-checking Day. It’s the citizens way of proclaiming the need for strong evidence and solid facts in journalism and everyday life. Trusting the news nowadays is really hard. information should be gathered from the right source. 
 

International Fake news

Fake news is surrounded everywhere we look whether your reading a magazine, a book or surfing the internet.Fake news happens locally and internationally. Its a way for the bloggers to make there money by the amount of clicks there are.Authors of the article are creating news false news about there country to gain attention to readers outside of where there from.

One international article I found on Water Whisper news was about Donald Trump who met the Irish prime minister who respectively handed trump a bowl of shamrock and once trump touched the bowl of shamrocks the plant wilted and died.  

Bowl Of Shamrock Wilts & Dies Moments After Touching Donald Trump’s Hands

''THE TRADITIONAL meeting between the Irish Taoiseach and US President, which takes place in and around St. Patrick’s Day has taken a worrying turn this morning, WWN can exclusively reveal.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has spent the week in the US banging the drum for Irish businesses, the undocumented Irish in the US and defending the EU, but the day before St. Patrick’s Day has long been considered to be the most important day during his trip as he would meet US President Donald Trump.

Handing over the traditional bowl of shamrocks, a symbolic gift that speaks to the strong and prosperous relationship between the two countries, Kenny was horrified to witness the shamrocks immediately wilt and die once the bowl made contact with Trump’s small hands.

“No, everything is fine, this isn’t a bad sign or a harbinger of doom. Ireland still loves you Donald. Say and do what you want, it doesn’t matter to us, we’ll still lick arse with the best of them,” a panicked Kenny shared with Trump as the media’s cameras flashed intensely.

“D’ya remember when I said you were racist. That was gas. But, Jesus, if you don’t remember then I never said it, okay?” Kenny added while sweating profusely.

While no experts have yet come forward to explain why shamrock would suddenly wilt once placed into someone’s hands, the public was invited to draw their own conclusions.

“No, here look, we’ve another bowl. Oh God, oh God, oh God,” the Taoiseach added while handing over a fresh bowl of shamrocks to Trump which immediately wilted and died.

It is believed Trump then delivered some empty remarks that were void of any trace of genuine human sentiment which focused on how great the Irish people are and how beautiful their country is.

A spokesperson denied making sure they got the smallest bowl possible for the shamrocks, in an effort to make Trump feel like he had giant hands''.

Fake news is a way for reporters to make money and live for fame instead of actually caring about how people would feel from reading there articles especially if its on a sensitive subject. I think people should take there time and analyze what there reading and believe to not fall for the false information stated.

  

fake blog

international tax blog

On January 12, 2017, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that tax authorities can deny VAT deductions on services procured by a holding company that does not impose a service charge on its subsidiaries. 

Facts and Decision

MVM is a Hungarian state-owned energy company that deducted input VAT with respect to the services it procured. MVM provided some of these services to its subsidiaries, but did not impose a recharge, nor did it impose a general strategic management charge. Furthermore, neither MVM nor its subsidiaries were included in a VAT group.

MVM is a Hungarian state-owned energy company that deducted input VAT with respect to the services it procured. MVM provided some of these services to its subsidiaries, but did not impose a recharge, nor did it impose a general strategic management charge. Furthermore, neither MVM nor its subsidiaries were included in a VAT group.

The Hungarian tax authorities denied MVM a VAT deduction on the services that it procured in the interests of its subsidiaries or in connection with certain share acquisitions. MVM contested this decision. Ultimately, the  Hungarian Supreme Court referred the appropriate treatment of the services to the CJEU, in light of the general rule that input VAT recovery requires a direct and immediate link between input transactions and taxable output transactions.

In this blog can see they have the blog writer page (https://www.bna.com/vat-grouping-safeguard-b57982084736/ ) is a very popular page. As I was looking around around the web for reviews on the web, I have read a lot of positive reviews on how the information is authentic, and sites to back their information ( http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A62016CO0028)

Global Horror

Fake news is not only a problem in America. It is now a global epidemic stretching from continent to continent.

Just recently Ghana Web, a news site for Ghana posted an article that talked about how a Tanzanian news reporter was suspended for broadcasting fake news about President Donald Trump on air. The fake news according to Ghana web was that trump praised Tanzanian president  John Magufuli's speech. The news was brought forth on Fox channel. However, how does one confirm this news is true? The only answer is by doing a further investigation using the little being presented to the general public. Since TBC news was mentioned in the article that is the starting point of the investigation. Even though google may not be the strongest point of reference try to look for videos or other news sites that may have similar stories and compare information. Then lastly, go to the last news source mentioned. Fox Channel to see if they truly did do a live broadcast of the particular fake news.

From looking at the article on Ghana web it is evident that not only america Struggles to determine the truth in news. However, the world is questioning whether or not news being presented is truly authentic. Furthermore, with the action Tanzania broadcaster took with its own staff to punish the reporter for presenting fake news will other nations follow suite? To help stop the spread of fake news?

Moreover, there have been some actions against fake news. For example there is a site that tries to put all fake news on blast. Not only in America, but every popular fake news spoken about around the World. The site is called Global News.

However, the problem does not only lie with news shared on social media or the internet. Fake news are also being presented through news channels. Primary example is the Trump news from Tanzania. Radio stations also have influence on fake news. Especially over people who have never been to school. To them people who present news are credible sources as to what goes on in the world around them.

Now fast forward to the future. Knowing that fake news is a world wide practice what would be the outcome of it in the future? Could it not start future wars? National conflicts? It probably could. That is why it is the job of those who are aware of the spread of fake news to inform others to take time to do their own research/ investigation on topics/ news they hear on a daily basis to not be fooled by what they hear because there is always two sides to a story.

The Fake News Factory

Veles is a small town in the middle of Macedonia. Once upon a time, this was a bustling city full of industry. Once Macedonia had gotten its independence from Yugoslavia, the city had begun to decline. With a population of 55,000, factories began to close and many people lost their jobs. The annual income is only $4,800.

These days, this quiet town started making a name for itself. Buzzfeed revealed more than 100 pro-Trump websites traced back to Veles. These websites are full of clickbait titles and sensationalism- or in other words, fake news. As discussed on an earlier post, there are many reasons why people are motivated to create these fake stories, economic opportunities being one of the big ones. That's exactly what is inspiring the teens of Veles to use their time to fabricate these stories. 

While many of these stories are pro-Trump, it's interesting to know that most of these teens in reality don't really care or support Trump. They claim that he is the most popular to write about as his stories tend to go viral and his followers are 'no joke' when it comes to social media. While many will argue that this is deceitful or wrong- Veles has benefited from these fake news stories. People quit school and their jobs to dedicate themselves to writing and posting articles as doing so brings them a lot of money. 

Veles does not have much to offer these teens, so why not? One teen says ""The Americans loved our stories and we make money from them. Who cares if they are true or false?""

http://www.nbcnews.com/widget/video-embed/828602947943 [VIDEO]

As one teen from the video above, Dimitri, explained, "I know who is responsible for the election, it’s the American people. I think the American people don’t take their politics not as serious as other countries do. No offense to Americans, we don’t believe such hoax news." In a way, he isn't wrong. People have the power to choose what to and what not to read and believe, but the tricky part is that some people like to believe what they already hold to be true, confirmation bias as noted from before. So while Dimitri claims their stories didn't sway the U.S election, could it be that it did have some effect, big or small? 

Of course, now that these teens found a system that worked, it’s definitely not going to stop now just because the U.S election is over. There are elections in Germany and France coming up too and who’s to say that fake news won't target these places too? Some nations are afraid of Russian hacking (the Netherlands is even using paper ballots for their election), but is fake news so powerful that it will be another addition to their fears? These are questions that don't have a real answer yet. 

On the other side of the spectrum, there is someone trying to fight the fake news coming from Macedonia. Saska Cvetkovska, an investigative journalist from Skopje, Macedonia's capital, is doing just that. She and two of her colleagues had even created an online database that shows the ownership behind news websites in Macedonia. While it's become for tough to dictate what is real and fact, they are working on a Chrome extension that could do a similar job. 

Cvetkovska reminds everyone that the problem with fake news is not something that emerged out of the Trump Era, but that it’s always been there. 

She says, ""It forced you guys in the United States to think about this. And it's a good thing that you think about this, because somehow, we can make a change"

And it has forced the U.S to think. Companies like Google and Facebook are trying to create ways to detect fake news. The question is, will this be enough, or will the government have to get involved too? 

That's a topic for another time.

— Stay tuned, Ace

Fake News International

Fake news is not only in the United States.  The signing of the Executive Order from the President of the United States has turned into Fake News for International countries.

What is said to Jamaicans?

At US Embassy in Kingston, a Loop News spokesman said that the news website called Radiogtv has posted an article which falsely claim that President Donald Trump has signed an executive order limiting only 100 visas per year for individual traveling from Jamaica.  He stated that he had no such knowledge of this executive order and has not been instructed by the United States government to implement an edict restricting Jamaica to just 100 visas a year.

The Radiogtv article entitled, “ 100 US Visa per year for Jamaica-Donald Trump signs Executive Order” reads: “The President of the United States Donald Trump has signed an executive order placing a quota on the number of visas to be issued by the United States Embassy in Kingston to Jamaican nationals.”

It continues by stating that “The executive order, which bans 7 countries from visiting the United States granted Jamaica only 100 visas per year. This means that the Embassy is entitled to issue visas to only 100 lucky applicants yearly until maybe a new government takes over to make changes to such laws.”

So because of this Fake News article, the spokesman from the US Embassy in Kingston’s is telling all Jamaican that:  “We are unaware of an executive order pertaining to Jamaica but we are fully aware of this story and the effect it is having.”

Thus, the Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness decided to speak with the credible Loop News about article adding: “ This is totally untrue and it is just another case of fake news.”  He said also that there was an article, which stated, “He supposedly signed away Jamaica to become part of the United States?”

What is said to Canadians?

Here is another Radiogtv website article about Canada. Their article stated that Canada parliament approved a visa lottery program similar to the US DV visa lottery that will give opportunity to winners to settle in Canada.  Individual will be able to work and obtain Canadian Citizenship after 4 years for 16 eligible countries.  Eligible counties include Oman, Ethiopia, Philippines, Ghana, Guyana, Jamaica, Nigeria, Gambia, Cameroon, Kenya, Pakistan, Zambia, Thailand, Uganda, Fiji and Lesotho.

Under the new visa lottery program, every winner is required to have obtained at least high school education or two years of work experience. Registration for the entries will be opened on March 1, 2017.  Also stating that entrants will be notified of their selection and interview beginning August 1, 2017.  In clearing up the fake news the Canadian government website stated that a widespread rumor that Canada is due to begin a new immigration lottery, similar to the visa lottery in the United States, is untrue. This story stems from an article that was published online telling citizens from 16 countries they could apply as of March 1, 2017.  The government of Canada has not made any public announcement about such a lottery, and there is no reason to believe that such a program will be launched.  All of these story are being circulated appears to be fraudulent.

The false story lists a range of eligibility requirements for interested citizens of Oman, Ethiopia, Philippines, Ghana, Guyana, Jamaica, Nigeria, Gambia, Cameroon, Kenya, Pakistan, Zambia, Thailand, Uganda, Fiji, and Lesotho.

The Canadian government on their official website has stated that this story does not cite a government source.  It has also incorrectly named the department overseeing immigration to Canada as 'Canadian Immigration and Citizenship' (the correct name of this office is Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada).  The government wants the people from the named countries not to engage these services of any individual, entity, or group that tells you that they can assist with an application to this fake program.

Background of Radiogtv (Fake News) website:

“Radiogtv is an online news website with a sole purpose of breaking news and rumors that covers global politics, business, technology, entertainment, science, health and media. They sometimes check other site to corroborate the story rendered with no contact and leaving no office details.

Loop News, The US Embassy in Kingston:

Loop is the number one source for Caribbean-wide local, regional and global content providing the best coverage of news, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, business, community and events. With our trusted team of journalists working locally in each market, we strive to bring you all the breaking and most up-to-date coverage of events, from a team you can trust. Loop now provides local news in Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Cayman, Curacao, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Nauru and Vanuatu. They have the bios on there website.

What does the folks from Apple have to say about Fake News:

Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that people who want “to get the most clicks, and not tell the most truth are spreading falsehoods It’s killing people's minds in a way."  Tech companies are now been criticized for doing too little to weed out fake news.  Cook states that firms have a duty to "create some tools that help diminish the volume of fake news" without curbing free speech.  He calls for a "massive" campaign to raise awareness of untrustworthy news stories.

What does the Google and Facebook individuals have to say about Fake News?

Initially, Facebook denied that fake news could have seriously affected the election. But recently it announced that it was taking action. The social-media giant said it would work with fact-checking organizations such as Snopes and Polifact to identify problematic news stories and flag them as disputed, so that people know that they are questionable. It will also penalize suspect stories so that they are less likely to appear in people's news feeds.

The leaders of Google and Facebook are joined in the battle by academics and data scientists who started to work on the subject years before bogus news stories were suspected of helping sway the 2016 presidential election.  Their work has yielded tools that are helping to track how "alternative facts" are spread, and how others let you identify fake stories or blocking them altogether.  Some of these are still in the baby steps, but they're keys, if largely unsung, part of the effort to tamp down the spread of fake stories.

                                                                        Work Cited

Farrell, H. (2017, January 20). Facebook and Falsehood. Chronicle of Higher Education. pp B9-B11.

  Here's a 'fake news' post the White House liked 

According to John W. Schoen from CNBC, The White House staff has a lot on its plate these days – repealing and replacing Obamacare, tax reform, immigration, North Korea and Russia, infrastructure, just to name a few. So they may not have time to actually read everything that comes across their desks before the next tweet or blog post. Case in point: One of the staff's daily duties includes updating a White House blog , called "Your 1600 daily," that rounds up Oval Office memos and news highlights, with links to media reports that often include positive news coverage of the Trump administration.  

 On Friday, the White House posted a link to what upon first glance appeared to be a favorable review of the Trump's "skinny" budget proposal that would add more than $50 billion in new defense spending by slashing other federal programs. The proposed spending plan included everything from deep cuts in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) budget to the elimination of federal support for the arts to reduced grants to help states provide housing and social services for the working poor. 

 

Amid the resulting political backlash to the assault on popular programs, the overworked staffer who linked to the Washington Post story with a flattering headline could be forgiven for assuming it provided positive spin on the controversial spending plan. It was, after all, titled "Trump's budget makes perfect sense and will fix America, and will tell us why." But a closer read would have revealed that that article was, in fact, a parody piece lambasting the new  budget blueprint.  

"Clean rivers and breathable air are making us SOFT and letting the Chinese and the Russians get the jump on us," Post reporter Alexandra Petri wrote about a proposed 30 percent cut to the EPA budget. "We must go back to the America that was great, when the air was full of coal and danger and the way we could tell if the air was breathable was by carrying a canary around with us at all times, perched on leathery, coal-dust-covered finger," she wrote. As of Friday afternoon, the link was deleted from the White House website.