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Category: Lies

Context matters – poster from unions4workers deleted a key word to tell a lie

Context matters – poster from unions4workers deleted a key word to tell a lie

TL;DR Summary The poster conveys that James Madison believed in 1817 that business corporations are inherently evil regarding accumulation of property. The person who created this poster left out one word: “in perpetuity by [ecclesiastical] corporations” which completely changes the meaning. The quote is contained in a paragraph about the power of religious bodies, in a document that is entirely about “Ecclesiastical Bodies” (Churches). Unions4Workers is telling an outright lie.

Sanders shows how to tell a lie using only true statements

Sanders shows how to tell a lie using only true statements

TL; DR Summary Each sentence is true. But Sanders is intentionally making a straight up, outright lie when he talks about the changing share of corporate taxes. Politifact, the NY Times, the IRS, the Congressional Research Service, the Congressional Budget Office, Factcheck.org and the Center on Budget Priorities all recognize the problem with these statements. Can you spot the problem? Due to the creations of Subchapter S corporations after 1958, much – perhaps most – corporate income now flows through…

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Re-using historical photos to assert a false conclusion

Re-using historical photos to assert a false conclusion

TL;DR Summary Making the rounds on FB, this poster supposedly shows Europeans fleeing to North Africa to escape WW II. In reality, the photo is of Europeans (from Albania) seeking refuge elsewhere in Europe in 1991. A simple Google search confirms the story. Re-using historical photos and asserting the photo shows something other than what the photo actually shows is extremely common on social media. This propaganda method works because most people have no familiarity with the photos being used…

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Oregon is not giving free college tuition to everyone

Oregon is not giving free college tuition to everyone

TL;DR Summary This poster was widely distributed on social media propaganda web sites, often in conjunction with Bernie Sanders statement that he would like 4 years of college to be free for everyone. All other states should follow Oregon’s lead, they said. Based on the comments to this poster, as it circulated, most everyone who saw this believed it applied to everyone in Oregon, at any college. Alas, the poster asserts something that is not true.

Use sleight of hand to persuade your propaganda target

Use sleight of hand to persuade your propaganda target

TL;DR Summary There is a whopper error in this poster. Can you spot it? Let’s rewrite the first line: US $7.25 Minimum Wage 49.95 Danish Krone Written that way, you would convert one currency in to the other, right? Canadian currency, like the US, is called a “dollar”. But the US dollar and the Canadian dollar are not equivalent. This propaganda poster uses this sleight of hand magic trick to persuade – most people see the $7.25 and the $10.45 and…

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False Quotes That Spread Like Wildfire on Social Media

False Quotes That Spread Like Wildfire on Social Media

TL;DR Summary False quote posters, like this one, appear every day on social media, for and against numerous topics and politicians. Snopes says the quote is completely false. FactCheck.org says the quote is false. These posters work because they convey what the poster wants to believe-if you believe it to be true, than it must be true! (Indeed! I linked to Snopes in a reply to the person who posted this and he replied that he would leave it up…

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False Quotes That Spread Like Wildfire on Social Media #Socialmedia #Propaganda

False Quotes That Spread Like Wildfire on Social Media #Socialmedia #Propaganda

TL;DR Summary False quote posters, like this one, appear every day on social media, for and against numerous topics and politicians. Snopes says the quote is completely false. FactCheck.org says the quote is false. These posters work because they convey what the poster wants to believe-if you believe it to be true, than it must be true! (Indeed! I linked to Snopes in a reply to the person who posted this and he replied that he would leave it up…

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Appeal to authority, assertion of false quote: Alan Greenspan did not say this

Appeal to authority, assertion of false quote: Alan Greenspan did not say this

TL;DR Summary: Greenspan never said this. Prof. Noam Chomsky said this quote to illustrate what he thought of Greenspan. HOW IT WORKS – This is a fake “Appeal to Authority” using one’s thoughts on Greenspan as leverage. The poster asserts that Greenspan said this and readers want to believe it is true, therefore, it must be true! Methods: Appeal to authority, Assertion (of false quote), transference Goal: To associate or “transfer” dislike of bankers to Republicans. Scorecard: Successful as propaganda….

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