The Washington Post has already beclowned itself today with Glenn Kessler’s fact-check of “the incendiary claim that George Soros funds Alvin Bragg.” Kessler got buried in Community Notes, which he complained about, resulting in more Community Notes disputing his complaint. It’s no secret Soros bankrolls the campaigns of liberal district attorneys — he even wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal explaining why.
So it’s doubly embarrassing that the Washington Post thought to offer nine tips to fact-check your friends and family when they start spouting conspiracy theories.
Advice: Correcting your friends or family can be stressful. But, experts say we’re more likely to change our point of view if we’re approached by someone we care about. https://t.co/5nQzdZ84Yr
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 1, 2023
Teddy Amenabar writes:
When you’re talking to someone who believes in a conspiracy theory, [professor and political scientist at the University of Wisconsin Mike] Wagner said it can be helpful to ask: Who’s benefiting from your believing this? Who’s raising money or making money because of the audience they’ve built from this?
Wagner said that it can be helpful to remind people that if somebody at a mainstream news outlet such as The Washington Post or NPR reports something that’s false, they can be fired.
“People who work for really ideological talk shows or podcasts don’t have the same worry,” Wagner said. “They don’t get in trouble in the same way.”
Name anyone from the Post who was fired for publishing disinformation about Russia or the coronavirus or Nick Sandmann or the Wuhan lab-leak theory or Hunter Biden’s laptop.
Recommended
Speaking of the lab-leak theory, remember this?
One lesson for the media is that self-interested denials from the Chinese Communist Party do not equal "debunking." pic.twitter.com/awYnmSS01A
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) May 25, 2021
The paper that pushed the Trump-Russia conspiracy theory 24/7 is hectoring me about how to debunk false claims.
— LifeisMusic (@BangorRocks2) April 1, 2023
"By someone we care about." Sure, encourage Wokistas to harass Uncle Fred at Thanksgiving dinner. We'll see how long Fred continues to care about his woke niece.
— Yacht Rock Enjoyer (@boisfeuras71) April 1, 2023
Such as trans men aren’t men but women who dress up as men.
— BigJim (@BigJimNCPA) April 1, 2023
This isn't advice. This meets the standard of agitprop, by every single metric. Don't ever delete this though, it will make great material to break down.
— Smokerscough (@Smokerscough3) April 1, 2023
You all branching into comedy? Is this your stand-up routine?
— Marty McFly 🇺🇸 (@Martin_McFly21) April 1, 2023
Advice: whatever "experts" say, believe the opposite.
— Chad Syrylo 🇺🇲 (@SyryloChad) April 1, 2023
Just realize liberals cannot be reasoned with due to their feelings and opinions
— Col Gerald Maxwell, J.D. (@avatarmax123) April 1, 2023
All my friends already know the corporate press is the enemy of the people. Some hate you more than I do. I’m blessed.
— Dan Cotter (@TheDanCotter) April 1, 2023
If one of my family members tried to fact check me WaPo style I’d laugh in their face
— mr. cold cut combo (@K2SpiceNetwork) April 1, 2023
Advice: your newspaper is garbage and nobody trusts you.
— Jay Cooper (@jaycarlcooper) April 1, 2023
@GlennKesslerWP is getting fired then???
— Fantasy Baseball Addict (@moorebaseballer) April 1, 2023
Men aren’t women.
Masks don’t work.
Vaccine mandates are evil.
Climate change is a hoax.
Jesus is Lord.
— The TDS Doctor 🇺🇸 (@TDSDoctor) April 1, 2023
You're telling people to trust the MSM, a group which collectively has gotten every major story of the past decade wrong.
— Kohltrain 🇺🇸 (@kohljm) April 1, 2023
Every time I think journalists can’t get any more insane or stupid you guy raise the bar. Which is quite impressive.
— FearTheFloof (@fallingdowncat) April 1, 2023
All of these “experts” WaPo consulted all say pretty much the same thing — ask them where they got their conspiracy theory and then try to steer them to mainstream sources like WaPo.
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Related:
LOL: Fact checking the fact checker – Glenn Kessler gets utterly owned by Twitter Community Noteshttps://t.co/veXeADnv9K
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) April 1, 2023
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