Think Progress has become the latest victim of a juvenile faux news hoax. Think Progress ran a story about how Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann proposed “Americanization” labor camps for Central American unaccompanied children. It quickly spread from Think Progress to other liberal sites, precisely what the “source” KCTV 7 had hoped. KCTV 7 is one of a number of fake news sites run by adolescent tricksters who relish spreading false stories. I have previously written about these sites and the type of low-grade “gotcha” pranks that motivate such people. It hardly takes a genius to set up a site that looks like a real news outfit and run stories to trick anyone who stumbles by on the Internet. I don’t find these pranks funny or impressive. I cannot understand how companies like WordPress give them a platform for such hoaxes or why the creators have not faced personal liability over their false stories.
The story quoted Bachmann as saying “I’m calling on all of us, Obama and Congress and everyone, to chip in and build special new facilities . . . ‘Americanization facilities,’ if you will. And we’d send these kids to these facilities, in Arizona and Texas and wherever else. And we’d get private sector business leaders to locate to those facilities and give these children low-risk jobs to do. And they’d learn about the American way of life, earn their keep, and everyone wins in the end.”
Raw Story reported that “However, it turns out that interview, often sourced to KCTV7, was plagiarized from an openly satirical site, The National Report. The KCTV7 report lifted large passages of the Bachmann “interview” and accompanying text from The National Report website verbatim.” National Report is the fake news site that I previously criticized. I honestly do not understand why these people find such pranks to be funny or worth so much effort. They degrade both media and Internet users. It is the equivalent to graffiti on the Internet.
Think Progress issued the following statement:
The news site KCTV7 News is a parody. Rep. Bachmann (R-MN) never made the statement. We sincerely regret the error.
The editors of the site relish these juvenile pranks. The site states “KCTV7 is a Kansas City news site that reports local and world news, as well as American politics.”
I am astonished that WordPress tolerates such fraudulent sites or that these people have not been sued for false light or defamation. If a site tricks people into buying false items or harming themselves, WordPress would presumably terminate the site. Yet, here is a group of people who work hard to spread false stories to embarrass people — often attributing harmful stories to people like Bachmann. I am less judgmental toward Think Progress as I am toward these juveniles and, by extension, WordPress that gives them access to victims.
nick, Give us some comparable Pelosi quotes. Pelosi is a very conventional politician who happens to be a woman. She grew up in politics and learned how to play the game well. Mike’s description of Bachman as a “dim witted theocrat” is perfect but I would ad a “dim witted theocrat” with a far away look in the eyes. I know someone who actually sat next to her in the Minnestota legislature and I heard crazy stories about her before she ever ran for congress. Pelosi’s eyes are popped out from too much botox not from insanity.
maxcat, “I believe in natural gas as a clean, cheap alternative to fossil fuels.” That is a really stupid Bachman quote. Remember that doozy? But, Pelosi has some too.
SWM, And as I said, the Dems did the incredible Peter Principle move and made the wide eyed, stumbling, bumbling, Pelosi Speaker. Do you remember the Professor Irwin Corey “The CIA lied” presser? Come on, not a nickels worth of difference, and Boehner did have the sense to keep Bachman in a cage. This is one reason why we can’t elect Hillary. We have a failed female Speaker and a failed black President. We first need a successful Italian-American President in the fat boy from Jersey and then work on a legit woman for President.
Mike, after reading through all of the self-reverent posts here, along with the congratulatory ones, with each side lauding their compatriots, I think you have hit the nail on the head.
MikeA, From the middle, they’re both dimwitted. Do you need some dimwitted quotes. You see, the template is Republicans are stupid, Democrats are smart. That is simply incorrect. They go toe to toe in stupid, but myopia prevents liberals from seeing it. At least the Republicans kept the dimwitted Bachman where she couldn’t do much harm. The Dems elevated the buffoon Pelosi to Speaker of the House! Obamacare. ‘Nuff said. “We have to pass the law in order to find out what’s in it.” There are a LOT more Bidenisms, from the fool on Coit Hill.
Nick:
I have strongly criticized both Rep. Bachmann and Rep. Pelosi on more than one occasion. I find Rep. Pelosi to be a conventional, unimaginative and ready enabler of bad policy. I find Rep. Bachmann to be a dim-witted theocrat.
Sweet Miranda rights and wrongs …
Nah, not really true. Even Boehner realized that Bachman was insane and would not give her the leadership position that she had the seniority for.
You do realize there is not a nickel worth’s of difference in the two women’s buffoonery?
MikeA, You might be one of the very few here that would also say the same if Pelosi were the victim?
So, did anyone figure out the connection to WordPress? Is Jonathan Turley just assuming WordPress has something to do with this because they use WordPress software?
That would be like calling out Microsoft if they used MS Word to write the article.
swarthmoremom is correct. Pranks work when they are believable. The comment attributed to Rep. Bachmann is credible at first glance.
Was it BarkinDog?
Michelle, my belle, volle motre vontre bien ensemble. Michelle also got caught in high school porking a dog. You heard it here.
My apologies, leejcaroll. Putting it in its proper context:
“Paul I had a neurosurgeon come into the room and say I am John Smith. I said Do you prefer John r Dr. Smith. He replied. I worked for the title so I deserve to be called by it.”” (leejcaroll to Paul at 11:05 am)
This is a blog — not a major trauma center.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-superiority-complex.htm
anonymous, ? I was quoting a doctor and replying to an earlier post about using titles.
Thanks Darren.
I worked for the title so I deserve to be called by it. -leejcaroll
Well, this is a blog — not a major trauma center.
It’s fairly obvious that this blog inspires two different types of contributors; those that put party before principle and those that put principle before party. Interestingly, JT consistently sets an example of the latter and routinely scolds those here that go overboard doing the former.
I see this faux news site not as the problem but rather as a symptom of the problem. They would cease to be effective or even exist if people stopped looking for “all the news that’s fit” for an agenda and instead use some critical-thinking skills to verify something so outrageous might actually be ideological fantasy.
Dredd said,
“If there is any merit to their existence, it is the impetus to verify which they help to create.
An impetus to “prove all things” before believing them, and especially before reprinting or reposting them as if they were factual.
David Gregory had to eat his hat recently when he failed to do that, and fell victim to propaganda energies.”
I completely agree.