Fake News and Real Propaganda

The specter of "fake news" is all the rage these days, so let's examine it a little further.

The Washington Post prints an article, complaining about "fake news" sites, and cites a list made by a shadowy, anonymous group.  The Post goes on to say that this is clearly evidence of Russian interference in our "democracy."  They give no evidence, choosing instead to focus on innuendo and quotes from "authorities."  So let's have a look at some FACTS:

In 2012, the lame-duck Congress included in the NDAA a provision overturning the Smith-Mundt Act, which forbade the US Government from disseminating propaganda within the United States.  Since that time, the corporate media has regularly published articles in lock-step with the official narrative of the US Government.

For example, remember the sarin gas attack in Syria in 2013?  Remember how every corporate outlet, including the Washington Post, immediately laid the blame at Assad's feet, despite little evidence.  I wonder if the Washington Post ever updated its readers on the UN report that concluded it was the rebels, the US-back rebels, that used the gas(spoiler: no, they doubled-down on the "it must have been Assad" meme.)

Let's look at another example:  Since Russia seems to be in the west's crosshairs, let's look at the supposed cause of the tensions, namely the Russian annexation of Crimea.  The Ukrainian government was given a choice between joining NATO and presumably the European Union, or moving closer to Russia.  When Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych chose Russia, the US and other western intelligence agencies, as well as some oligarchs like George Soros, funded "grass roots" uprisings, Yanukovych was forced out and a new, pro-western government was installed.  Nevermind that much of this new government was staffed by non-Ukrainians, nevermind that many of these new "leaders" didn't even speak Ukrainian, this was clearly "the will of the people!"  Upon seeing all this, the people of Crimea, recognizing they had no legitimate government in Kiev, held a referendum on whether or not to remain part of the Ukraine.  Overwhelmingly, they chose secession, which is enshrined in the UN's Charter of Human Rights.  Over 95 percent of voters chose secession and reunification with Russia, their historical homeland.  So, with the will of the people so loudly stated, what would the "protectors of democracy" of the west do?  Declare the referendum illegal and refuse to recognize the outcome, of course!  The corporate media has parroted the narrative of the "Illegal Russian Annexation of Crimea," with no dissent of course. 
Long story short, the government of Ukraine was overthrown, the people of Crimea preferred to live under Russian rule, and the west has been beating the war drums against Russia ever since.  International sanctions have been levied against individuals around Russian President Putin, and European and American businesses have been forbidden from engaging in commerce with them.  The short-sighted leadership, who pushed for the ouster of Yanukovych and the sanctions, have done tremendous harm to citizens in many countries of the northern hemisphere, but no price is too high to be right!

Now we come to the almost-completed election cycle.  The list of "fake news" sites did NOT include the Huffington Post, the NY Times, CNN or MSNBC, despite the fact that 65 of their so-called journalists had an off-the-record dinner with the Hillary Clinton campaign to discuss strategy.  Again, no mention of the corporate media talking heads that have been caught coordinating with that campaign, some going so far as to ask permission to use quotes or approval of articles before publication!  The irony, of course, is these were the same media outlets that sowed seeds of fear that a Trump presidency would be a threat to free speech!

It would seem that this list is simply a new method by which their zombie following can shut down debate, silence dissent and provide ever-increasing thought policing in the age of the internet.  If we, as a society, are so afraid of voters falling for fake news on the internet, perhaps we aren't getting our money's worth from our most-expensive-in-the-developed-world education system...