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Author: Edward MS

News: How poor reporting becomes propaganda

News: How poor reporting becomes propaganda

Reporters and statistics rarely work well together: In 2018, the average premium on the exchange was $5,798.83 and for 2019, companies are proposing to sell products with an average premium of $6,274.08. Source: 2019 insurance on the Obamacare exchange in Ohio will increase | cleveland.comAn average provides useful information about a random distribution – ACA premiums are not a random distribution. ACA premiums are a non-linear distribution. When prices are across a non-linear curve, the average tells us little about…

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News: Click bait versus actual news headline

News: Click bait versus actual news headline

I’m so old, I was taught that a news headline encapsulated a brief summary of the news article. Today, the purpose of a headline is to act as “click bait”. This screen capture from Google News illustrates the concept – the one at the bottom is the “old school” approach. The past week has seen a flood of “news” reports about immigration issues-some were mostly correct yet some, may be many, were poorly researched, left out context, and were intended…

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News: One of these things does not go with the other

News: One of these things does not go with the other

One thing: The Centers for Disease Control is reporting an outbreak of norovirus on a Holland America cruise ship in Alaska. Some 73 people reported falling ill on the Zaandam which is carrying more than 2,000 passengers and crew. Source: Holland America cruise in Alaska hit by norovirus And the other thing – CDC Official Statement: The CDC Vessel Sanitation Program is monitoring the outbreak and the ship’s response procedures. Specimens have been collected and tested onboard using a norovirus…

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Fictional News: Average renter can’t afford their apartment

Fictional News: Average renter can’t afford their apartment

I removed most of this original post as I discovered confusing irregularities in the reporting that made it impossible to figure out what they were saying. Instead, I’ll leave just the original part here. The Oregonian newspaper: KGW8 TV: If the average renter cannot afford to rent even a one-bedroom apartment, then how are they living in a rental unit? This logical conflict was invented by the headline writers as the actual underlying report says something different. But the headline…

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News: When is a scientific study, or the reporting on it, just propaganda?

News: When is a scientific study, or the reporting on it, just propaganda?

Today’s news brings the following announcement: By modifying their lifestyle, including diet and exercise, people can lower their blood pressure just as effectively as with medication, according to a study. Researchers studied the effects of adapting the Newstart Lifestyle program, which includes a vegan diet, daily outside walks, substantial quantities of water, adequate daily sleep and optional spiritual activities. Source: Healthier lifestyle as effective as medication to lower blood pressure, study says – UPI.com Most people will read only the…

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Riding a “bike generator” for 30 minutes will power a house for a day? No, not even close. #Facebook #Bicycling #nonsense

Riding a “bike generator” for 30 minutes will power a house for a day? No, not even close. #Facebook #Bicycling #nonsense

This made me laugh – can you see why? A typical bicyclist may generate 100 to 200 watts per hour on a bike. A very fit bicyclist might generate up to 300 watts per hour (and their peak output – like a sprint – can produce 500 or more watts briefly). (Good explanation here. Another way to look at this is that 1 horsepower is 746 watts. Are you as powerful as a horse?) Consequently, for most people, 30 minutes…

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It may be virtue signalling, but at least its not actually true

It may be virtue signalling, but at least its not actually true

This propaganda poster came across my news feed. According to Snopes, He occasionally rides a subway but is more often driving one of his sports cars or classic motorcycles. He generously support several charities; however, his net worth is estimated at $350 million. He lives in a $4 million home (shack, not a mansion, in Hollywood Hills, which is in California, not New York City). Typical of propaganda, this poster extracts “bits” and extrapolates those to make broad or generalized…

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Journalism: Layers and layers of fact checkers

Journalism: Layers and layers of fact checkers

In 2016, USA Today published an embarrassingly incorrect map, as well as misspelling “marjijuana”: The original USA Today article was corrected – 4 days later – and notes a prior version of the story used an incorrect map. This type of error passed through a graphic artist, at least one reporter, copy editors and an editor, which is not inspiring confidence in their journalistic integrity. Meanwhile, two years later, numerous people are sharing the original map on social media (June…

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Wonderful of example of “anchoring” technique in a news column #fakenews

Wonderful of example of “anchoring” technique in a news column #fakenews

Anchoring is the method of implanting a suggested value in the reader or viewer’s mind. Can you spot the “anchor” in this passage? Why immigration? It’s not the central concern of most voters. A Gallup survey in May found that 10 percent of Americans listed it as the most important problem facing the country. Source: E.J. Dionne: Call out the lies and the hatred | OregonLive.com When I read that, and likely when you read that, you internalized that as…

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News: Journalists fall for false meme: why?

News: Journalists fall for false meme: why?

The long-time thesis of this blog is that social media is a frictionless platform for the spread of propaganda. In the “good old days”, propaganda required owning a printing press or broadcast license. Today, anyone can become a propagandist by posting an appropriate meme on social media and watch it shared thousands or millions of times. Journalists frequently use their personal accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (but especially Twitter) to share items of interest to themselves. Due to the…

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