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Comment by blueadept111 | Hacker News Reader

The concept of "fake" news is a slippery slope. Anyone that's in the business of gathering and presenting news has a number of vested interests. Sensationalism. Fabrication. Fear mongering. Persuasion. Ingratiation. Language itself is mostly a tool for some shade of lying and/or intimidation, with the occasional fringe use of conveying factual information or for enabling cooperation between peers.

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> Language itself is mostly a tool for some shade of lying and/or intimidation

No, not at all. Language can be used to that effect, sure, but there exists a little something called true/false.

Train yourself on seing nuances, if you have trouble separating false things from regular partisanship.

We are not talking about exaggeration, we are talking about people who make actual fake news. Fake and as in completely artificial, no basis in reality, and imaginary. Its creating news that doesn't exist.

> Sun Won't Rise Tomorrow, Click Now To Find Out Who's At Fault

^ This is what is effectively going on. Its objectively false and fake news. But the problem is that people are believing this shit.

In what way is that worse than technically factual news that conveys a counterfactual meaning.

Really not sure what kind of people are downvoting these kinds of comments. Anyone care to enlighten?

Usually the kind of people who esteem journalists as philosopher-kings, and the organizations who employ them as paragons of perfect, unassailable virtue.

The Fourth Estate is not to be criticized.

What kind of conspiracy nonsense is this?

'It’s Easier to Fool People Than to Convince Them That They Have Been Fooled'

Yikes.

I'm puzzled by the down votes too

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