YOU SAY – Verdict on the media: Don’t believe everything you read

Some comments on the ArmchairMayor.ca Facebook page in response to a Mark Rogers column, “Facebook users need to speak up: we don’t want fake news.”

 

Amy Pitzel Cowater (Nov. 13): I always look at the source of the news.

Mlm Friesen (Nov. 13): Armchair Mayor, you fear the day the news becomes as disreputable as advertising? I think that day is almost here, particularly with TV “news.” The media used to at least pretend to be unbiased, but now they don’t even bother to fake it. They try to lead the public in voting a certain way, rather than reporting. As an example, the BC news media were celebrating in advance the NDP’s win in the last election, but oops, the Liberals won. Same with the Trump victory. People are starting to wise up to the media.

Vincent Welland (Nov. 13): Many people don’t trust the new media because they usually tell us what they want us to believe happened instead of just telling us what happened.

Donald Malden (Nov. 13): Have spent last couple of weeks, as a bit of a hobby, tracking down wild stories and assorted claims ranging from silly to dangerous on social media. Conclusion: do your own research because a great deal has been made up and some claims can be dangerous!

Corrine Giesbrecht (Nov. 13): Facebook doesn’t actually publish the stories. Facebook can’t prevent people sharing links. People using Facebook have to be less gullible. Just because it’s on FB doesn’t make it true – I’ve seen firsthand, people sharing photos/ articles that are completely misleading. There is a complete lack of fact checking and bias in most news articles on the Internet. Kind of a “reader” beware situation, but unfortunately if the article is slanted to someone’s beliefs — they will be inclined to believe its veracity.