The biggest purveyors of “fake news” and irresponsible journalism are the news media outlets complaining most about it.
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow is at the forefront of the latest fake news on Russia.
Maddow’s Rant
The story went viral of course.
Another Story Falls Apart
Today, Glen Greenwald reports Yet Another Major Russia Story Falls Apart. Is Skepticism Permissible Yet?
LAST FRIDAY, most major media outlets touted a major story about Russian attempts to hack into U.S. voting systems, based exclusively on claims made by the Department of Homeland Security. “Russians attempted to hack elections systems in 21 states in the run-up to last year’s presidential election, officials said Friday,” began the USA Today story, similar to how most other outlets presented this extraordinary claim.
MSNBC’s Paul Revere for all matters relating to the Kremlin take-over, Rachel Maddow, was indignant that this wasn’t told to us earlier and that we still aren’t getting all the details. “What we have now figured out,” Maddow gravely intoned as she showed the multi-colored maps she made, is that “Homeland Security knew at least by June that 21 states had been targeted by Russian hackers during the election. . .targeting their election infrastructure.”
So what was wrong with this story? Just one small thing: it was false. The story began to fall apart yesterday when the Associated Press reported that Wisconsin – one of the states included in the original report that, for obvious reasons, caused the most excitement – did not, in fact, have its election systems targeted by Russian hackers.
The spokesman for Homeland Security then tried to walk back that reversal, insisting that there was still evidence that some computer networks had been targeted, but could not say that they had anything to do with elections or voting.
Then the story collapsed completely last night. The Secretary of State for another one of the named states, California, issued a scathing statement repudiating the claimed report:
This has happened over and over and over again. Inflammatory claims about Russia get mindlessly hyped by media outlets, almost always based on nothing more than evidence-free claims from government officials, only to collapse under the slightest scrutiny, because they are entirely lacking in evidence.
The examples of such debacles when it comes to claims about Russia are too numerous to comprehensively chronicle. I wrote about this phenomenon many times and listed many of the examples, the last time in June when 3 CNN journalists “resigned” over a completely false story linking Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci to investigations into a Russian investment fund which the network was forced to retract.
Remember that time the Washington Post claimed that Russia had hacked the U.S. electricity grid, causing politicians to denounce Putin for trying to deny heat to Americans in winter, only to have to issue multiple retractions because none of that ever happened? Or the time that the Post had to publish a massive editor’s note after its reporters made claims about Russian infiltration of the internet and spreading of “Fake News” based on an anonymous group’s McCarthyite blacklist that counted sites like the Drudge Report and various left-wing outlets as Kremlin agents?
Or that time when Slate claimed that Trump had created a secret server with a Russian bank, all based on evidence that every other media outlet which looked at it were too embarrassed to get near? Or the time the Guardian was forced to retract its report by Ben Jacobs – which went viral – that casually asserted that WikiLeaks has a long relationship with the Kremlin? Or the time that Fortune retracted suggestions that RT had hacked into and taken over C-SPAN’s network? And then there’s the huge market that was created – led by leading Democrats – that blindly ingested every conspiratorial, unhinged claim about Russia churned out by an army of crazed conspiracists such as Louise Mensch and Claude “TrueFactsStated” Taylor?
And now we have the Russia-hacked-the-voting-systems-of-21-states to add to this trash heap. Each time the stories go viral; each time they further shape the narrative; each time those who spread them say little to nothing when it is debunked.
Regardless of your views on Russia, Trump and the rest, nobody can possibly regard this climate as healthy. Just look at how many major, incredibly inflammatory stories, from major media outlets, have collapsed. Is it not clear that there is something very wrong with how we are discussing and reporting on relations between these two nuclear-armed powers?
Hello Rachel Maddow!
My Quick Take
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Is it possible that DHS is trying to get an increase in their budget? Sort of like the FBI and commies under every bed?
If the FBI is still looking for commies, they can just hold a free speech rally at any University.
But Greg, they’ll be covering their faces!
the MSM does not publish “fake news”.
it publishes propaganda in the tradition of Goebbels.
the MSM’s sole purpose is to denigrate the democratic institutions of the US.
some might say that it goes as far as to use propaganda to foment sedition.
libtard demoNrat socialists think that they are the only legitimate form of government in the US and delude themselves that they are in government today. they are linked so closely to the MSM that they take this page out of Goebbels playbook.
“Think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play. Joseph Goebbels”
Today’s MSM in America makes Pravda of 1960 look like a credible source of journalism.
I’d like to see media cover Hillary’s connection to Russia.
The Uranium sale, donations to the Clinton Trust, big payments for husband’s speeches, lucrative business deals with top aide Podesta and Podesta family members come to mind.
There was a brief flurry of interest in Facebook ads bought by Russia but when many were shown to favor Hillary that seemed to die away.
I’m amazed anyone still watches MSNBC. How gullible can you be?
i’m (not really) amazed anyone watches ANY american “news” channel, msbnc, cnn, fox, cnbc,…
the fact these channels are so popular proves propaganda works incredibly well
i fully believe the vast majority of people have no idea how to identify propaganda
Absolutely.
Question – who is pulling the strings?
“i fully believe the vast majority of people have no idea how to identify propaganda”
I guess you’d have to look at who sits on the Board of these organizations.
The customer is king
Crazy people have different news needs.
I suppose all you commentors are devotees of fox news.
i stopped watching or reading ANY media outlet several years ago. i watch business news channels for as long as i can stand them.
i watch live coverage of debates/committee stages etc but i highly value truly independent sites like these that focus on areas of key strenths of the oweners, like this one, and scan/contirbute to other aggregator sites like zerohedge.
i cannot but cringe and choke back vomit reading any newsprint or watching any news channel.
tucker carlson is good value
Haven’t watched any news channel since early 2000, but I do read Mish daily!
So is Lou Dobbs and he’s fun.
Lou Dobbs used to have his own anti-illegal alien show on CNN.
Since he moved over to Fox he’s gone soft on illegal immigration.
These phonies will change with the wind to collect a paycheck.
No! Fox is too pro swamp these days. They do not seem to deal in “facts” much anymore either.
Well Anon, I guess you don’t actually know what is on FoxNews, because Tucker is trashing The Swamp on almost every show. As he said the other night, the problem is there are thousands of holdover liberal democrat Obama/Bernie/Hillary supporters buried in the maze of the swamp bureaucracy. Very hard to root out. The fake news leak from the DNS is solid evidence of that. Rachel Madcow is the poster child for fake news liberal democrat propaganda. She will NEVER forgive Trump for beating Crooked Hillary.
Unfortunately The Swamp bureaucracy has more power than elected officials.
How to identify a deceitful moron: when they say “everyone knows Putin hacked the election”. I have heard that many times, but ask them for evidence and they’ll call you a nazi or racist or similar.
It’s easy to pretend you are “anti swamp” when you only count members of “the other party” as swampians……
Anyone to the left of Ron Paul, even including his son to a large degree, is a swamp creature. No Fed, No income tax and no replacement for it, no gun laws (except weeellllll maybee, some restrictions on nukes….), and just walk right out of every country we have military presence in, just as we once walked in; are all basic, fundamental, minimal and non negotiable requirements for being a non swamper.
Wanting to make some minimal adjustments around the edges of the current totalitarian dystopia, in order to make it more lucrative for yourself and your favorite lobbyists, does not even by the longest shot since the last moonshot, meet any standard for non-swampness.
I am a cord cutter and I watch little in the way of mainstream broadcasts. Mostly I read business news and avoid political news because much of that seems steeped in propaganda. I value financial sites such as this one where the host is forthcoming about his personal opinions.
Knowing what I do from brief personal encounters with news writers and other news encounters related to me by friends, I expect all news stories to be very heavily slanted. It seems many reporters cannot help themselves. When reporters also work to hide their own personal views, it makes me think they are liars and I have to wonder what else they are lying about.
I don’t understand why – for some people – it’s either the “mainstream” or Fox News.
We have – at our fingertips – the most expansive and all-encompassing information resource the world has probably ever known. Almost anything you want knowledge of can be obtained after a few clicks. And in most cases, you can get real life raw footage of any event – as seen through the eyes of someone (or someones) who was there.
Why do some believe that you must be spoon-fed either what allegedly amounts to one side or the other?
Why can’t I look at what’s out there and decide for myself?
What I like about some Fox shows, such as Tucker, is they present BOTH SIDES of the right/left paradigm. Tucker has lefties, such as including DNC staffers, interviewed on his show every night. But the FoxNews haters would not know that. They prefer to pretend he is one-sided. He says he is conservative but he always gives the other side a chance to present their case.
I don’t watch Fox but I heard they’ve changed a lot. Tucker makes fun of leftie wack jobs and Fox Business is still conservative leaning but changes in ownership have made the rest pretty much liberal followers.
To paraphrase Will Smith…I believe the proper slur for commentators like us would be ‘Faux news’
@mish, i can’t believe you omitted the media hysteria over the (russian) downing of ms370
No news is indeed good news.
It is the job of the news media to report news from what should be reliable sources or at least the most reliable we have, which in this case are government sources. When these turn out to be false the stories are retracted or in some cases if the reporters themselves were at fault they have been fired. This is a good/great thing and exactly how things should work although perhaps minus the hype. Every source has errors and bias and FOX is the worst I have seen.
US Government is not a credible source.
It’s a no lose scenario for them. If they successfully bring down the president, it diminishes America. if the government itself is proven to be corrupt or inept, it provides the same service.
The point is to create loss of faith in our government, leaders and institutions creating a chaotic vacuum that they hope to fill in a moment of desperation.
When are these media outlets going to be held accountable for this BS?
Those who watch MSNBC, CNN, and other propaganda outlets are the far left. Yes, there is a sizable population of far left idiots. They read Slate and a whole host of other far left publications. In psychology we call that confirmation bias. We should note that the far right has their preferred channels, magazines, and websites that confirm their biases. We should remember that when it comes to belief systems Like religion, politics, and some economic theories, belief needs no logical basis in reality.
Of course this hacking thing, which seems so new, is a very old (at least in modern terms) past time. does anyone remember how the film “War Games” begins? Anyone, Bueler, anyone? Ah, by dial up modems are so passe not to mention slow.
Go to CNN News on youtube and look at the comments under any article. CNN has got to be the most heckled news station on earth. Russia, Russia, Russia.
For me real news would tell me how many of my tax dollars are being squandered on this post-election political backbiting.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-09-28/we-are-already-depression-if-borrowing-money-not-income
Why would a socialist nation try to prevent socialists from winning elections in the U.S.?
Good point robs, I have wondered that also. I guess that question begs the application of too much logic.
Stunning. Probably because they stopped being “Socialist” (Communist) quite a long time ago and are now essentially a Fascist one party state half controlled by Oil & Gas money, oligarchs and crooks.
An informed, alert citizenry is no longer in the interest of the Corporate State and the Corporate Media that serve it.
Anyone that believes ANYTHING from these sources is a gullible, naive Rube.
If they did interfere they are just returning the favor!
The mainstream media is not involved in journalism, they are partisan political operatives. The MSM comedians are partisan political operatives.
The whole system relies on people not chasing down the primary sources of stories. It does not take much research to see we liven in a world of lies and illusion propagated by the whole system which relies on each other to support the faulty narratives they produce.
Cut the cord and cut off their funds. Dump establishment politicians. Take heart because their world is being challenged like never before in history.
I support Dan Rather’s belief that regardless of whether ALL of the “facts” produced turn out to be fraudulent, it still doesn’t disprove the case….especially when so many KNOW it’s true.
(no, not really)
Mental disease provides its own proof. This has gone on for years.. What we don’t know is how many times it has gone without disclosure. Now we see a major onslaught to even change historical facts with the only possible motive as to support further denigration of American pride and nationalism. Never be confused.Globalism IS anti-Americanism. We are to allow our guilt and tainted past to give cause to surrender to a greater, more perfect and benevolent power.
Reblogged this on John Barleycorn and commented:
In full agreement
Rest in peace, Mr Pournelle:
https://www.jerrypournelle.com/chaosmanor/russian-hacking/
Yet another reason to “cut the cord” (get rid of cable TV). 900 channels and most of them are full of lies.
Americans talk a big game about the importance of STEM training and STEM jobs (science, tech, engineering, math). Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump have all talked about the importance of STEM jobs. The war-mongers in DC want engineers to design new ways to kill people. The tech companies want cheap labor. Somebody needs to learn enough math to balance the nation’s check book.
But follow the money. How many billions does the US waste every year building stadiums for the NFL? So they can use an entertainment outlet to peddle their own politics? Since when does the nation get its politics from football jocks? And should the president take time away from actual governing to babysit the stupid disrespectful jocks?
Billions more in sports “scholarships” (tuition wavers really). Billions in product endorsement deals to jocks that can’t spell endorsement without the coach’s help. Speaking of, the “non profit” college coaches make more than any professor teaching a STEM subject.
And then we have these propaganda channels that profit from dividing the country against itself. Who needs Putin trying to break up the USA, when MSNBC (and the rest of media) are doing it for him? For free (free to Putin anyway).
Its time to charge MSNBC with treason and libel. Hold them accountable for their crimes
“Its time to charge MSNBC with treason and libel. Hold them accountable for their crimes”
Yes and/or many more lying propaganda outlets. But I guess the First Amendment would get in the way of that. I do think the people who advocate violence against our president could be held to account. Even though many people hated the Kenyan socialist president, I do not recall advocacy of violence against him. Yet the Trump haters get a pass and the right gets accused of being violent. That sort of thing is by-the-book Alinsky crap.
We have freedom of speech, but that doesn’t protect you if you yell “FIRE!” in a crowded movie theater.
We have “free press”, but the National Enquirer found out (and many others since) that this doesn’t mean you can print stories you know to be false.
We have the right to free assembly, but often you need a “parade permit” to assemble a large crowd.
We supposedly have rights protecting our private property, but greedy corrupt politicians steal money from taxpayers and use it to subsidize antifa promoting professors at Berkeley (and plenty of other schools).
Shouldn’t California taxpayers have the right not to subsidize a political position they don’t agree with? Can Trump take money from California taxpayers by threat of jail time, and use it to fund Steve Bannon’s news group? Why not, its the same thing — just opposite political views
The media can report unflattering stories about politicians (there is PLENTY of real dirt on all of them, including but not limited to Trump), but I have to wonder if an attempt to undermine a lawfully elected president with false accusations is what the founding fathers had in mind for freedom of speech / press.
Well put Medex Man.
ESPN (a sports network!) has now too become a arm of the democratic party expounding liberal propaganda. Pro sports are disgusting level of commercial garbage these days anyway. No middle class person can afford to take their family to a game or buy a beer at a game. Joe sixpack spends $300 of his hard earned savings to take his family to a game only to see players kneel during the national anthem.
NFL players are multi-millionaire 1%-er crybabies that live in mega mansions, send their kids to the best private schools, eat the best food, live a dream few do….yet feel they have to disrespect the fans and nation that gave them all they have by kneeling at the anthem and politicizing the game. And you an NBA championship team Warriors declining a white house visit (and I have not heard a good reason why yet besides the standard anti Trump media drivel). And you have the best player in the NBA LeBron James calling the standing U.S. president a “bum” in a tweet. Wow. Like we asked for his opinion. Can you imagine this happening even 20 years ago? The best and most well known player in the game calling a standing president a “bum”?
And what lies behind a lot of this NFL and NBA anti-Trump stuff is really at its core a race issue. The NFL and NBA are both predominately black leagues. And the black players have completely drank the MSM koolaid that Trump is evil and a racist. But if you really pressed them for proof of this, they would probably be like….”well…CNN said”….”well Rachel Maddow said”…
It is just disgusting and some big time culture wars are going on this country.
The Russians distributed the smallpox blankets of psy-ops from sea to shining sea and every American without immunity has mentally died.
It is up to you.
There are a reducing number of people from certain demographic groups in America who still “believe” Russia did NOT affect & influence both the US and BREXIT elections. This was done jointly with people such as Robert Mercer via outfits like Cambridge Analytica and others.
The Facebook involvement is clear and proved. It is outlined in the 25 page report by the Intelligence Community Report of 6th January 2017: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3254237/Russia-Hack-Report.pdf.
Twitter this week told members of the senate that 200 accounts were used by Russian linked sources.
Jon Huntsman the former GOP Presidential Candidate and new US Ambassador to Russia testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in early September 2017 that there is “no question” that Moscow meddled in the election. There is much MUCH more…..
Most of the “supporters” of this strongly pro-Moscow MISH economic commentator will never believe any of this, even if God Almighty were to descend and inform them in great detail, but some questions about mental state really should be asked here.
If you believe CIA crap you must have your head up your ass. Seriously.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-09-19/happy-birthday-cia-7-truly-terrible-things-agency-has-done-70-years?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zerohedge%2Ffeed+%28zero+hedge+-+on+a+long+enough+timeline%2C+the+survival+rate+for+everyone+drops+to+zero%29
You do not have to believe or like Putin
I don’t like him one bit nor do I trust him but your blind faith in proven lies is stunning
Here is another story:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/gop-seeks-to-close-federal-election-agency-1500325218
“The hack appeared to include a breach of the EAC’s administrative-access credentials as well as access to nonpublic reports on flaws in voting machines, according to Andrei Barysevich, an analyst with cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.
Access to the reports could have allowed someone to exploit flaws in voting machines, Mr. Barysevich said. The stolen credentials could have been used to install malicious code on the EAC site, thus potentially infecting any user of it. The users could include state election officials, who might then use a thumb memory stick to interact with other machines, such as ballot machines not connected to the internet.”
If someone had a copy of those administrative-access credentials you could actually change vote totals.
OK who did it?
Who cares? We can’t go back. It will happen again.
As Scott Adams pointed out, the people on the far left or right are not effected by facts and logic, and it is a waste of time to try to change their opinions using facts and logic. When you are trying to pound some sense into them, what they are thinking is “don’t confuse me with facts, I’ve already made up my mind”.
“There are a reducing number of people from certain demographic groups in America who still “believe” Russia did NOT affect & influence both the US and BREXIT elections.”
Russia did not affect Brexit and the US elections.
Obama went to Britain to influence the Brexit election, as did Jamie Dimon. They did not affect the outcome. The British made up their own minds.
People in the US made up their own minds. Mine was made up as of the first Republican debate.
The American mainstream media tried to influence and affect the outcome of the election, as Wikileaks exposed. Both Sanders and Trump were colluded against.
2,600 counties out of some 3,000 voted for Trump. The Russians did not cause that to happen.
a few FB ads… that’s all you have? Laughable.
9 months of investigation & slander by media operatives & establishment Left has yielded… a few FB ads.
The Left is utterly delusional. Their own hypocrisy makes credibility impossible… pay-to-play-politics, CGI, uranium deals, super-delegates, … the list goes on… all of this is ignored by the Lefty Media, yet it is 10x more consequential per US elections/democracy than the paltry $100k worth of FB ads (literally the only “evidence” of a ‘Russian” connection to the US election). Sad.
Only the “totally uninformed” think facebook is unbiased, and would accept what they say.
So I have to add Ben Jacobs to my ever-growing tally of fairytale fantasyland fake news gollums to blacklist. Who else gets to NEVER be read by me ever again?