Washington Post Defends Fake News/Russian Propaganda Article – It wasn’t OUR list
The Washington Post published an article entitled ‘Russian propaganda effort helped spread ‘fake news’ during election, experts say“. The “experts” that the Washington Post relied upon was an entity called Prop or Not who provided the Washington Post with a list of 200 web sites allegedly involved in spreading Russian propaganda.
The Washington Post Russian Propaganda/Fake News article has been widely criticized by many news outlets including the Intercept (‘disgraceful”) and Rolling Stone Magazine (‘shameful and disgusting’)
At least two of the sites listed on Prop or Not’s list, Natural News and Naked Capitalism have asked the Washington Post to apologize and retract the story with implied or explicit threats of legal action if such actions were not forthcoming.
The Washington Post yesterday added exculpatory language in the form of an “editor’s note” to the introduction of their Russian Propaganda/Fake News story. To paraphrase – Prop or Not insists on anonymity, the Washington Post didn’t itself did not name any of the sites, it was Prop or Not’s list – not ours, the Washington Post did not vouch for Prop or Not’s findings nor did their article purport to do so. The Washington Post added that Prop or Not took some sites off their list.
(you can read the WAPO editor’s note here)
The Washington Post also removed a link to the Prop or Not list and now features a link to Prop or Not’s subsequent research article.
In essence, the Washington Post admitted they just passed along the findings of Prop or Not without any independent verification (because Prop or not INSISTS on anonymity?) No apology or retraction was included in the Washington Post editor’s note.
The Russian Propaganda fake news mainstream media hysteria, led by the WAPO, CBS News and the New York Times prompted Hillary Clinton to make a rare public appearance to denounce fake news and demand the government act immediately to counter it because ‘people’s lives are at risk’.
The best anecdote to fake news is real news produced with the highest journalist standards that include fact checking and independent investigation. The Washington Post’s “Russian propaganda effort helped spread ‘fake news’ during election, experts say” fails by those standards.
Fake news doesn’t “need to be stopped”. Fake news is protected by the first amendment. The government is not supposed to act to shut down factually incorrect or misleading news. Fake news needs to be countered by real news. Ultimately, however, it is up to the consumer to decide which content they chose to read.
If Russian or foreign powers are spreading misinformation, it is up to US security agencies to make such identifications, not Prop or Not via the Washington Post.
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Fakenews.news has not verified the fakeness of the story linked above or of any of the stories linked here. Any story linked here may contain real news and be 100% true. Proceed with caution.