New Mobile App Helps to Detect Fake News

At Indiana University a grad student may have just an app that everybody potentially needs on their phone. Graduate engineering student, Mihai Avram, developed an app called Fakey, that detects fake news for any article online. Indiana University stated,  “the news literacy game places users in a simulated social media environment where they can share, "like" or fact-check articles. Users are given feedback for their actions and earn points if they share stories from legitimate new sources, or if they fact-check articles from false or misleading reports or other types of misinformation.” Avram decided to started thinking about this app two years ago and he is excited for the world to use it. The app is now available on Android and iOS. [1 image, 1 link, 1 quote, 123 words]

E. Coli. in Romaine Lettuce

This past year there was five deaths and over 210 sicknesses due to an E. Coli breakout. This year the FDA has been working very hard to find the cause of this E. Coli breakout. Recently, this week, the FDA has released that the possible reason for this outbreak was due to dirty canal water that was used to grow romaine lettuce. NBC News wrote that the outbreak was “traced to romaine lettuce grown around Yuma, Arizona. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration cautioned people to avoid romaine lettuce unless they could be sure that it wasn’t grown in the Yuma area.” Thankfully they have found the exact location were the dirty canal water was located to stop E. Coli from growing and infesting other foods. [1 image, 1 link, 1 quote, 133 words]

Mexico’s Fake News Crisis

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As Mexico is preparing for their election for a new president Sunday, June 29th, fake news has been everywhere regarding the elections. Many Facebook pages have been made recently talking about scandals and many other things regarding the running opponents. According to US News and Report, “Zocalo Virtual, which has spread false claims about a disgraced ex-governor and billionaire Carlos Slim, had more than 1.86 million followers”. The worst part is not only is this happening on Facebook, other social media platforms like Twitter and Whatsapp, have many fake threads and accounts sending personal messages to users about fake news. Officials have been trying very hard to distract people by sending messages talking about these fake stories. But the only hope for these candidates as they run tomorrow is that the truth overshadows all the lies. [1 image, 1 link, 1 quote, 137 words]

Apple is Fixing Their Maps

Earlier this week Apple announced that they will be officially fixing their maps application on Apple products. For many people this is the best news they have heard. For a few years now Apple Maps has become more unreliable and many people have began to start moving over the Google Maps. In the Engadget Article they talked about many of the new features that will be a part of the new app. Also they talked about how Apple will be producing their app by “using their own data and set rather than the current piecemeal approach. The goal is that the new maps will be a part of the iOS 12 update by next week. [1 image, 1 link, 1 quote, 115 words]

Fake News in Nigeria

In Nigeria recently fake news has been fueling several problems, much more than the government can handle. In a BBC Article many examples of  the fake news stories being told were explained. They also continued to explain why Nigeria's government has been struggling with fake news which has been rising tensions in the herders crisis they have currently. In one fake news stories told apparently a “major major Nigerian news outlets ran a story claiming that Danladi Circoma, a leader of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, said the attacks in Plateau were revenge for the loss of 300 cows”. Also several other stories about people being attacked by cattle has caused anxiety and fear within Nigeria. Although the government has tried to denounce as many fake news stories as possible it is hard to reach their population over twenty six million people. The government hopes that soon all this fake news can come to an end and the population of Nigeria can have peace within their community. [1 image, 1 link, 1 quote, 168 words]

Fake news or bad reporting?

According to a Pew Research Center survey, it is reported that, "23%  of participants say they have shared a made-up news story – either knowingly or not". This December, 2016, analysis, has left many posing with a following question as to why this is so. The study also finds that, although there has been a considerable increase in fake news and its travel path throughout the internet, most individuals can discern the difference. The article does well in communicating the difference between fake news and just plain bad reporting skills. In the end, information has become interesting and the numbers generated in this study further confirm this notion.

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Rise of ‘fake news’ producing more journalism majors

Tom Williamson goes into detail exploring the rise in interest in journalism majors . According to a New York Post article, this has taken place as a result of a rise in fake news which has generated a large following. The article points out that "Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism saw a 10 percent increase for the 2017-2018 school year for journalism based studies". This is such a large number. Among the reasons contributing to this interest as pointed out in the article is that, “There’s also a level of excitement and thrill that has been inspiring.” Fake news has contributed in large part in the generation of this increased interest.

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Journalism in the age of fake news

CBC Radio, a California based radio station produced an episode exploring the direction through which Journalism is taking and the fight against fake news. "Established news media no longer have the monopoly on how we consume our news, and "fake" news is proliferating,"This right about sums up the discussion. With this taking place, fake news has found its channel to work through and make the necessary influential impact. Fake news becomes a welcomed necessity from being non-existent. The article makes an assertion that pressure is contributing to a chill on how reporters do their jobs. Fake news then becomes an easier route to take in completing tasks.

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Fake news 'travels faster', study finds

Fake news 'travels faster', study finds

In an article on BBC, through a study of 126,000 rumours and fake news, it is reported that "rumours and false news stories spread on Twitter over a period of 11 years found that they travelled faster and reached more people than the truth." Researches found a commonality in humans to "re-tweet" fake news with a content popularity in politics. The article explores explanations as to the conclusion of this study and many point out that, fake news is in itself newsworthy, therefore becomes worthy of sharing and retweeting. The consideration of facts has slowly become less common when information is received. The advancement of technology, has facilitated this notion.

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Some Real Data on Fake News

Some Real Data on Fake News

In this article,some data on fake news, Steve Kolowich explores the fake news phenomenon with great detailed explanation. According to this publishing dated January, 04, 2018, fake news has enjoyed a rampant surge in popularity. Speaking with Mr. Guess, an assistant professor of politics and public affaris at Princeton University, Kolowich digs deeper into the phenomenon posing questions which included, "can we know for sure how many minds an item of fake news might have changed?" It is apparent that fake news is deserving of more attention and further awareness is needed to curb the impact of fake news on individuals and entities involved.

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Fake News During Disasters

A disaster brings havoc where ever it hits, but that havoc now has another place to spread, on social media. The latest example is during the latest earthquake in Japan. People nowadays turn to social media for live updates on events, especially during commotion. This leads to false news being spread very rapidly. For example, "Many in Japan watched last week’s earthquake unfold online, with many posts going viral. These included user @satnfc2, who claimed that a zebra was on the loose following the shake, and @happyura12, who shared a photo of what appeared to be a crack in the city’s Kyocera Dome. ... These were all fake. Posts spreading misinformation following the earthquake became so problematic that the Osaka prefectural government told people to beware of baseless information and avoid spreading it further." A similar thing happened when during the last hurricane that hit Houston. 
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Facebook Combats Fake News

Facebook has put a fair bit of effort into fighting the fake news that is rampant on the platform, but now they have taken a direct method as seen in the photo. According to Facebook, "the impact of fact-checking reduced the distribution of fake news by an average of 80 percent." The fact checking program has been rolled out to four countries as of two days ago. One reason Facebook is now taking a more active roll is due to the ability of fake news to influence an election, especially by foreign governments as well as photos being taken of context to further political agendas. 
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Netflix and Corporate Culture

Every large company has a corporate culture. That culture varies widely from industry to industry, but startups are unique. Netflix is beyond a startup now their culture in some ways emulates one. One example is, "A top Netflix executive has left the company after he used the N-word in front of colleagues on more than one occasion." Many companies would have swept this sort of thing under the rug but Netflix chose not to. This article details the circumstances in which the executive was fired.  This story is very telling of how social sensitivities have entered the workplace. Although this may be more prevalent in Silicone Valley. 
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Cell Phone Privacy

The Supreme Court has ruled that police must have a warrant to track cell phone locations. This is a very important step in the right direction for personal privacy when everyone has a cellphone in their pocket. Prior to this decision, police only had to say they were seeking relevant information if they had to get permission at all as seen in this quote, "They got a court order that just said they were seeking relevant information. That's all you had to show. And today the Supreme Court said, no, you have to get a warrant for that to show probable cause." The need for police to do their job is an absolute necessity for society to function safely but not at the expense of privacy. The decision exemplifies that. 
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Work Life Balance

Japan has the second longest work hours in the world (the longest is Mexico). There exists the idea that the work you do only half your career, the other half is dedication to the company. This idea has been eroded over time but it still is very prevalent in Japanese work culture. A 64 year old man took lunch three minutes earlier multiple times over the course of a few months. He ended up being fined for doing so and the government office we works for issued a public apology. The reason for this is due to a, public service law requiring officials to “concentrate on their jobs”, according to the bureau." 

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A Name That’s Going to be as Big as Texas

A Name That’s Going to be as Big as Texas

Regardless of the party, this congressional campaign ad is worth seeing. The ad, entitled "Doors," traces the Air Force veteran's path from a little girl at her mother's side, fleeing domestic abuse to helping save her team from Taliban capture after their Medevac helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. M.J. Hegar’s life has been "about opening, pushing, and sometimes kicking through every door in my way," the tattooed mother of two says over her video's rock 'n' roll soundtrack. Hegar, is much more than just another candidate running for office. She is a wife, mother, and an Air Force war hero. She’s won many battles and has paved the way for many women. Her opponent Republican Rep. John Carter, an eight-term congressman from Round Rock is going to have his work cut out for him.

Content: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/war-hero-running-for-congress-in-texas-drops-ad-that-goes-viral/273-566958073

Image: https://www.mjfortexas.com/

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YouTube Stunt Gone Too Far

YouTube Stunt Gone Too Far

A YouTube stunt that tragically went too far has left two children without one parent, and with the other in jail. Up and coming YouTube star, Pedro Ruiz III, had his girlfriend, Monalisa Perez shoot him with only an encyclopedia as protection. In the video moments before, he explains how he’s ready, “So if I’m going to die, I’m pretty much ready to go to heaven right now. If I die, I’ll be ready for Jesus. He probably won’t accept me into the pearly gates because of how stupid this is, but I have confidence that my girlfriend will hit the book and not me,” he said.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/23/new-video-shows-woman-trying-to-resist-youtube-stunt-that-killed-boyfriend.html 

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Sad News for South Carolina

Sad News for South Carolina

South Carolina congressional candidate Katie Arrington is in the hospital after a car accident. She was on her way to Hilton Head, when a car traveling in the wrong direction hit the vehicle she was a passenger in. Her injuries include a fracture to her back, broken ribs, and a partial collapse of the main artery in her legs. She will have to undergo major surgery to remove a portion of her small intestine and a portion of her colon, and will require a stent in the main artery in her legs. Her campaign manager said later Saturday that Arrington "remains in critical but stable condition" and is scheduled for "another major surgical procedure" Sunday morning.

Content: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/23/politics/south-carolina-candidate-katie-arrington-car-accident/index.html

Image: https://www.independentmail.com/story/news/2018/06/23/katie-arrington-sc-house-candidate-seriously-injured-wreck/727954002/ 

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Trump to Go

Trump to Go

This week two of President Trump’s staffers were having to find another place to dine. The first was Kirstjen Nielsen, the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. Protestors booed and shouted at her while at a Mexican restaurant, causing her to leave. The second incident took place at the Red Hen in Virginia, when the restaurant owner asked White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave. Sander’s tweeted "Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left," restaurants have the right to refuse service to anyone and they did indeed.

Content: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/23/politics/sarah-sanders-restaurant-kicked-out/index.html

Image: https://twitter.com/RedHenLex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2018%2F06%2F23%2Fpolitics%2Fsarah-sanders-restaurant-kicked-out%2Findex.html

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One Way to Get your Word Across

One Way to Get your Word Across

First Lady Melania Trump’s jacket caused many to question what the true intent was with the jacket she chose this week, as she visited the camps where immigrant families were being detained. She wore a jacket that had the words “I really don’t care do you?” across the back. Regardless who the message was intended for, it was counterproductive for the purpose of her trip. Now t-shirt makers are hitting back with t-shirts that read “I really do care, don’t you?” Pop City owner Rhonda Findley said she came up with the shirt because she's “frustrated and upset with the tone of the current debate over immigration”. 25% of proceeds will benefit the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), a nonprofit in Texas that offers free and low-cost legal services to immigrants and refugees.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/22/us/i-do-care-shirt-reaction-melania-trump-jacket-trnd/index.html

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The American Colonization Movement was during an age of reform (1820-1840), many of these reformation groups were working to convert the public’s opinion to their cause. During this time reformers adopted a variety of ways to bring about social changes, so Moral Suasion which is like peer pressure in that to appear “good” and coincide with the morals of that time they’d coerce you into following the “right” pathway. Reformers would also use the power within forms of government to force sinners to part with their wrongdoings.

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https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam002.html

Atom Bomb

The Atomic Bomb can be looked at in many ways, when some hear those words they think about the patriotism that surrounds it, as it usually does increase around times of war and when WWII struck the increase was immense, some think about how we had to do it as it was the only way to get the country of Japan to back off or maybe that’s their excuse to justify the results that came about, and then there are those that think about the hundreds of thousands dead due to the release of not one but two bombs dropped onto innocent civilian lives. The opinions on the Atomic Bomb are still quite controversial due to the tough decision that came about and the consequences produced.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki

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Behind Fake News

I always thought fake news was just stupid information no one had checked in on, I figured there was no point, no science to it. I was wrong. There are actually three different biases that are directly connected to fake news; bias in machines, bias in the brain, and bias in society. The bias related with machines has to do with programs and algorithms that connect what we are looking at with what we have searched for in the past. Bias in society is connecting directly with people, forming relationships with them, these are “the social bias that guide our selection of friends and comes to influence the information we see.” Finally, the bias in our brains, our brains are very unique and are constantly working even when we are doing nothing, they have tricks in place to help us not to become overstimulated. Unfortunately, these tricks are also things that when mixed with emotion can cause bias and opinions. [1 link, 2 pictures, 1 quotation, 160 words]

During this war men were to be way of the civilians because of the fact that the Viet Cong would supply some villagers with weapons or they’d hide behind these innocent people to commit surprise attacks on the United States Army. Throughout the massacre men would shoot anything that moved not only because they were ordered to but because they were fearful, that can seem ironic to some as these were supposed to be strong, and tough military soldiers good training and experience under their belts. However, the companies that went in there over those fateful days were thrown together for the most part. Two days after arriving in Vietnam the Charlie Company had experienced 28 casualties due to booby traps, so these men were already on high alert as their adrenaline was constantly pumping through them. Along with that many of these men were also young and were drafted which obviously don’t mix well when there is a war, as they were constantly looking to be ordered and looked for approval from older soldiers.

https://www.nytimes.com/1976/08/01/archives/the-my-lai-massacre-and-its-coverup-a-crime-against-humanity-an.html

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Navy?

1.       Navy seal

Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was a famous TV show for kids that lasted for 30 years, after his death in the early 2000’s vicious rumors circulated that Mr. Rogers was indeed an ex-Navy seal with over 100 kills according to online web site Snopes the truth is “Fred Rogers never served in the military, and he bore no tattoos on his arms (or any other part of his body). He wore long-sleeved shirts and sweaters on his show as a stylistic choice, in order to maintain an air of formality with youngsters. Although he was friendly with the children in his viewing audience and talked to them on their own level, he was most definitely an authority figure on a par with parents and teachers (he was Mister Rogers to them, after all, not “Fred”), and his choice of dress was intended to establish and foster that relationship.”

[1 image 1 quotation 1 link  150 words ]https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fred-rogers-rumors/

Trump Supporters Share Fake News

Emily Sugerman stats that “ Trump supporters share more fake news on social media than any other political group, according to a new study from Oxford University” LINK. This news was interesting for me because I found out that’s why these kinds of people following Trump because he has lots of interesting story with him, and I think people who enjoy fake stories like following excitement which they can find it with him. Lead researcher Philip Howard told McClatchy DC:” That’s a problem for democracy. In an ideal world, everybody would get at least a few of the same news stories. There’d be some shared facts and some shared understanding of the problems” facing the country.” It is so sad people who make a decision for the USA that they following fake news and enjoy it. [1 image, 1 links, 2 quotations, 133words]

Many believed that what happened at My Lai was the outcome of a unit of misfits, losers, and power hungry maniacs, as the stories of who these men were being plastered everywhere were beginning to come to light, as people looked for reasons on exactly why this happened. The unit, Charlie Company First Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment arrived in Vietnam in 1967 after the United States military was trying to regain a strategic front again in South Vietnam after the Tet Offensive. At this time the strategy had become more of a search and destroy due to the nature of the war. From March 16th through the 18th the plan was to destroy the rest of the surviving 48th Battalion that were supposedly hiding in the Son My village area. The orders were to, “go in aggressively, close with the enemy and wipe them out for good.” (Colonel K. Henderson, 11th Brigade Commander)

http://allthatsinteresting.com/agent-orange-victims

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President Trump signs executive order

 "It's about keeping families together while ensuring we have a powerful border," Trump said after he signed an executive order on Wednesday which ended separation of illegal immigrant families. The order does not stop detention of children who enter illegally but will keep them with their parents and avoid separation. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif said in an statement, "Instead of protecting traumatized children, the president has directed his attorney general to pave the way for the long-term incarceration of families in prison-like conditions." That all ends with the executive order but President hasn't changed his zero tolerance on illegal immigration.

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Amazon Hoax

Fake News is not just an annoyance, it can be an inconvenience and a provider of false hope. This past week in Memphis, TN many people desperate for work showed up at Amazon’s new building expecting a job fair. Amazon is building a new center at this lot, but unfortunately their information had been falsified, posted by someone on Facebook who did not have the correct information. There were “eager applicants that had arrived as early as 4 a.m.” sadly they were quickly turned away in the rain. Amazon was bombarded with phone calls about a job application that had already passed its due date. [1 link, 1 picture, 1 quotation, 105 words]

False Alarm

1.       False alarm

·       On January 13,2018 Hawaii got a scare of a lifetime when the emergency system set off a false alarm sending the people into a frenzy. To dive deeper into how this happen CNN news reported that “The employee who triggered the alarm, referred to as Employee 1, said he didn't know they were going through an exercise, even though five others in the room heard, "Exercise, Exercise, Exercise," which informed people that it was a drill, said Brigadier General Bruce E. Oliveira, the investigating officer heading the internal investigation.

·       The employee "therefore believed that the missile threat was real," the FCC said.

·       The employee "had a history of confusing drill and real-world events," said Oliveira. He has confused drills in at least two documented occasions. Colleagues had been concerned about the employee's performance for years, according to the internal investigation.

·       The employee activated the real-world alert code instead of the test missile alert. The computer asked him to confirm the choice and he clicked yes, according to the investigation's timeline.”

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CNN

Forcing Medications on Migrant Children

Immigrant children who are separated from their families and kept in the holding centers of Texas had stated that they were “given as many as 18 pills a day and often were not told what the medication was for”. It is reported that if the children refused to take the medications, they would face punishment or were forced to take the medications, according to a lawsuit. Moreover, it has been stated that some of these medications administered are antidepressants, anti-anxiety and antipsychotic. Some children were even forced injections. All of these actions from the government lead officials make the conclusion that it looks like they are trying to control the agitation and aggressive behavior with all of these medications.

Duct Tape and Body Shaming?

A former NFL cheerleader, the sixth among others, are suing the Texans (Houston) because of the unfair conditions that she was treated in. Angelina Rosa shares that she was body shamed by her coach. The cheer coach often called her “skinny-fat”, meaning that she was thin but did not have toned muscles. Because of this, she duct-taped the back of her skin without her permission and consent. “On numerous occasions, I was belittled and body-shamed,” Rosa shares. “The coach explaid I looked ‘skinny-fat’ and I needed to work on this if I wanted to continue dancing in the games.”