Fake News are the means to get public attention by some people. Heidi Jones, a former news anchor and and weather reporter of ABC News reported of being raped by a Hispanic man at Central Park, New York. It was not easy to suspect she could create a false accusation like she did because America trusted her, based on her reputation with her job. Her motives became thwarted when she contradicted herself with another story linked to the same man. Interrogators sensed something fishy about her story and when they probed further, she admitted to faking the whole story so she could "get attention and sympathy".
The birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015 by Prince William and the Duchess, Kate Middleton brought about Russians creating fake news about the child's birth. According to John Shammas, a news reporter for Mirror Online, a UK's newspaper, Russians reported in their newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, the birth of Charlotte by Kate Middleton as reported is fake. According to Shammas, the fake news were created by some Russian women, who believed Kate looked too good to have given birth within a couple of hours ago. They even claimed the child was by a surrogate mother but not by Kate herself. One other baseless claim made was the fact the child, Princess Charlotte did not look like a child born within a couple of hours ago. She looked like she is about seven to ten days old, they said.
![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GlDmlZIOlNA/WMyN6tB3aaI/AAAAAAAAAFM/wTAVVsqDsZMvcr2HCEW4xLZLSV7yIhmHACLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-03-17%2Bat%2B9.29.50%2BPM.png)
The allegations of the Russians who claimed and propagated the fake news based their claims on not facts but on what they were seeing with their eyes. In fact, there were no logos, and ethos attached to the claims made. It is surprising as to how countries now cross the boundaries when it comes to fake news publications.
The baby, Charlotte was shown to the public for the first time by her mom and dad, when leaving the
hospital. The link below shows the Princess when she was being brought out of the hospital.
Fake news creates tension between countries. Pakistani defense minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif in his reaction to a fake article read about nuclear war, tweeted Israel saying, Pakistan is also a nuclear power inclined and will fight back if they are attacked by Israel. The Israeli defense minister, Moshe Ja'alon replied prompt saying, the information Asif has is based on false news. To confirm Ja'alon's claim, the article on which Asif based his threat and reply, referred to Ja'alon as "The former Defense Minister" at some point and a "Defense Minister" at another time in the same article, which makes it self contradictory. The news source, AWD has been classified as dubious. It reported once that Abdullah, King of Jordan has killed his wife Rania, where in fact, the wife is still alive and healthy. In another instance, it reported Vladimir Putin, president of Russia is dead which is no where near the truth.
With the incidence of fake news spreading at an uncontrollable rate, it is up to readers to decide on when and where they would dig for their information. News read and heard, should not be taken as being authentic until it has been verified. Once news cannot be traced to a reliable source, it should then be considered as a rumor, which most of the time cannot be traced to its original source. Fake news is all about fame, money and the reasons which are best known to its creators.
I liked at the end that you stated that fake news is most of the time about fame and money. But I would also add that that the people that make the fake news have no care for anyone but themselves. that's the part that bothers me the most about that fake news.
ReplyDeleteNice use of the fake rape in the beginning to tie in with Princesses baby. Then putting in the part about fake news being for fame and sympathy. I agree that people use it to better there own standings or someone they look up to.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about fake news only being used for attention whether the attention gained can have a positive or negative outcome.
ReplyDeleteNow this is interesting. Why do you think Heidi Jones needed to resort to lying about being raped to elicit sympathy? Was she at risk of losing her job or being downgraded in which news shows she reported for? And, of course, this is fake news, generated by a newswoman. Famous newspeople have of course lied for various reasons and would make a great new post on that angle of the topic.
ReplyDelete