Isn't it possible for news organizations to make false stories?

[TridenT]

And then just use eachother as sources or all fall back to one story with no source after many links... and create a viral shitstorm out of nothing.

I just assume they do this already. (It looks like they do)

yes/no?

 

[highland145]

Heh, yep. Just like history books quoting a book quoting a.......which is factually wrong.

 

[Macamus Prime]

Not really.

Every news organization uses a verification process to report their stories.

 

[dullard]

They are supposed to get two independant sources for each story. So, it would require two independant organizations to make up the same story for it to work.

Not that they always follow their own guidelines though.

 

[highland145]

They are supposed to get two independant sources for each story. So, it would require two independant organizations to make up the same story for it to work.

Not that they always follow their own guidelines though.

Dan Rather, anyone.

 

[Kadarin]

Sure it is, just watch Fox News.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Dan Rather, anyone.

First thing I thought of.

 

[BladeVenom]

Black church burning stories that were started by USA Today. They and other news sources started covering every church burning and made it seem like there was a sudden increase in burnings. When the actual statistics were looked at, burnings had actually gone done.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Fox News went to court to uphold their right to lie to viewers.

 

[slayer202]

stop making threads rakzum

OH WAIT

 

[HardcoreRobot]

profound

 

[DrPizza]

In the race to be first, and 24 hour/7 days a week news coverage, this has happened a couple of times already, hasn't it? I can't recall the specific cases, but seem to remember reading about a few of these.

 

[Spikesoldier]

no if its on fox news or msnbc its automagically true. otherwise youre a terrorist or a racist.

 

[rakzum]

They said Iraqis took newborns from their incubator and threw them into the river. They probably made that up to get public support for the first Gulf War.

 

[Ninjahedge]

A lot of stations are bad in this in that they report as soon as someone tweets it. They do not take time to verify in order to be the first on the tube telling everyone.

Now, in some cases (like Fox) they are unwilling to retract or, god forbid, APOLOGISE for their wrongful reporting.

I have no problem with someone jumping the gun, so long as their pride is not so large they are willing to eat crow when they are wrong (not PROVEN wrong, that gets into a WHOLE other subject).

 

[SlitheryDee]

If you see it on TV, chances are there's some element of bullshit. They don't even really have to lie outright, just start with a fact and extrapolate from there.

 

[Fiat1]

Sure it is just watch MSNBC, NBC , CBS, CNN

 

[slayer202]

I love the "I don't trust the liberal media" bumper stickers. Our country is fucked

 

[darkxshade]

If it was possible for the former president to make false stories like WMDs in Iraq then surely the news can do the same. /ducks