The Long Con

It’s easy enough to believe that this is an especially awful moment for truth—in part because it is. But in a new book Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News, Kevin Young shows that the concepts listed in his title have been around in America for a very long time. His narrative extends from the 17th century to our own, and from lying journalists and fake memoirists to politicians who win over voters with disinformation. One of Young’s aims is to show that hoaxes are not random and have been known to play upon our worst fears and prejudices. Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2017-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "The Long Con"


University Presses Are More Vital than Ever

The Association of American University Presses annual meeting in Austin emphasized the value of publishing work grounded in research in an era of fake news. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Advertisers should follow Vodafone's lead after Facebook and Google failures | Nils Pratley

Telecoms giant is right to stop relying on social media titans to stop its adverts appearing next to inappropriate contentAbout time too: a major advertiser has become so frustrated with Facebook and Google’s limp attempts to police the content they publish that it has taken matters into its own... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Facebook Is Guiding Publishers Through the Rough Waters of Recent News Feed Changes

In the wake of a flood of recent changes to Facebook's News Feed algorithm aimed at drowning out fake news and clickbait, the social network threw a lifeline to potentially overwhelmed publishers. Vice president of News Feed Adam Mosseri shared some "basic guideposts" for publishers looking to... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Facebook promised to tackle fake news. But the evidence shows it's not working

Following pressure from users, the social network introduced tools to stem the spread of false information. But the rollout has been rocky at bestWhen Facebook’s new fact-checking system labeled a Newport Buzz article as possible “fake news”, warning users against sharing it, something... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Fake news or not, the future belongs to Facebook

Imagine the forecasters are right, and that print will die and social media rises to domination. What would the 2042 general election be like then?It was the week when the fake news furore went legacy-viral. Facebook bought full-page print ads in national dailies featuring 10 tips for spotting... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


British voters concerned about the impact of fake news on elections

With the UK's general election campaign now in full swing, a new study of 2,000 adults finds that 68 percent are concerned that fake news could influence the outcome. In addition, 26 percent are not confident in their ability to identify a fake story and a further 39 percent were unsure if they... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Podcast: Bonnier’s Semande Agosa on the duopoly, ad blocking, fake news

We sit down with with Semande Agosa,Head of Programmatic and Strategic Partnerships at Bonnier Corporation to discuss some major trends in the media space. From the duopoly to fake news we tackled the trends that had mouths moving at the Digiday Publishing Summit. Sponsored content by GumGum The... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Cond Nast Swings at Digital and TV in Its NewFronts Pitch

It took about 30 seconds after the opening montage at Cond Nast's NewFronts presentation on Tuesday for the publisher to take advantage of the mess in digital media."Fake news, alternatives facts, fraud, non-brand-safe content," chief business officer Jim Norton told the crowd at Cipriani 25 in... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Murdoch Seeks to Dent Google's Ad Dominance After YouTube Revolt

Rupert Murdoch is hoping that Google's pain might be his gain.Murdoch's News Corp. is introducing a service that it says can ensure online ads don't appear next to fake news or offensive videos, marking the latest salvo in the billionaire media mogul's long battle with the world's biggest search... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Technology company? Publisher? The lines can no longer be blurred | Emily Bell

Google, Facebook, et al are in reality media companies and must accept the responsibilities that go with it Attention, like snow, comes in two varieties; the fun, beautiful kind, and the “wrong” kind, the kind that stops trains and freezes democracy. Recently the seemingly unstoppable digital... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Forget 'fake news': Adam Curtis' film says we live in a 'fake world' designed by bankers and politicians

A sinister world rises from the soothing, if mischievous, voice of Adam Curtis: politicians and financiers have created alternate realities that prey on our fears while Facebook and other cyberspace distractions toy with our vanities with promises of escape and virtual redemption. At a time when... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


IPA’s Kolman: role for publishers in ‘post-truth’ world

Publishers should stand as “beacons of trustworthiness” in an age of fake news and alternative facts, International Publishers Association president Michiel Kolman has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Gawker founder Nick Denton believes the 'good internet will rise up again'

“Facebook makes me despise many of my friends and Twitter makes me hate the rest of the world,” Gawker founder Nick Denton said.The publishing pioneer, who connected with fellow bloggers at South by Southwest in the early days of web publishing, returned to the festival Sunday to reflect on the... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2017-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


If newspapers won't check viral stories, who will listen to them about fake news? | Jasper Jackson

Media outlets published video of cyclist responding to catcallers without checking its authenticity. The race for clicks is undermining claims people should trust the newsEven as the media continues to take Facebook to task over its fake news problem, many parts of the news business are doing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


My dad predicted Trump in 1985 – it's not Orwell, he warned, it's Brave New World

The ascent of Donald Trump has proved Neil Postman’s argument in Amusing Ourselves to Death was right. Here’s what we can do about itOver the last year, as the presidential campaign grew increasingly bizarre and Donald Trump took us places we had never been before, I saw a spike in media... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The view on fake news from Sweden

Sweden, with one of the oldest free presses in the world, has seen a worrying rise in hate speech and fake news, according to Ehsan Fadakar, social media columnist at tabloid Aftonbladet. But publishers there have a more direct connection with their readers than in other countries, making... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


UK media chiefs called in by minister for talks on fake news

Matt Hancock’s move follows week in which Donald Trump attacked CNN as ‘fake news’ for reporting on dossier on his Russia linksMinisters have summoned media bosses for talks on “accuracy” in journalism amid growing concern over the rise of fake news. Matt Hancock, the minister of state for... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Why Facebook’s fake news measures won’t stamp out imposter publishers

Facebook's announcement that it was taking steps to crack down on hoaxes and fake news on the platform drew attention to a specific type of fake news ads -- those that masquerade as legitimate news sites. Publishers have long been the victim of such schemes, but they have few options to squash... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Libraries for gathering, not just books

Libraries from Massachusetts to California are expanding to more unusual offerings like clothing exchanges and tai-chi sessions. 'For a long time, we’ve tried to make sure people come in for more than checking out books,' says Leah Price, communications director for the Library Foundation of Los... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this