Mr. Tucker, who had taken photos of a large group of buses he saw near downtown Austin earlier in the day because he thought it was unusual, saw reports of protests against Mr. Trump in the city and decided the two were connected. He posted three of the images with the declaration: “Anti-Trump protestors in Austin today are not as organic as they seem. Here are the busses they came in. #fakeprotests #trump2016 #austin”
.. The buses were, in fact, hired by a company called Tableau Software, which was holding a conference that drew more than 13,000 people... “I’m also a very busy businessman and I don’t have time to fact-check everything that I put out there, especially when I don’t think it’s going out there for wide consumption.”.. Mr. Tucker was replying to queries on Twitter about whether he had proof to support his claim. He confirmed in a post that he “did not see loading or unloading” but that the buses were “quite near protests at right timing.” That admitted lack of evidence, however, had little effect. By about noon, Mr. Tucker’s initial post had been retweeted and liked more than 5,000 times... Mr. Tucker considered deleting his tweet about the buses, but Mr. Trump’s message emboldened him. “I figured if he were to say something like that, I might be barking up the same tree,” Mr. Tucker said... rumor-checking website Snopes also debunked the claim that the buses were connected to any protests. None of this seemed to have much impact... rumor-checking website Snopes also debunked the claim that the buses were connected to any protests. None of this seemed to have much impact.
Fixation on Fake News Overshadows Waning Trust in Real Reporting
while the ecosystem contained easily identifiable and intentional fabrication, it contained much, much more of something else.
.. The overarching claims of the story were disingenuous and horrifying; the facts it included had been removed from all useful context and placed in a new, sinister one; its insinuating mention of “Muslim martyrs,” in proximity to mentions of Mr. Khan’s son, and its misleading and strategic mention of Shariah law, amounted to a repulsive smear. It was a story that appealed to bigoted ideas and that would clearly appeal to those who held them.
This was a story the likes of which was an enormous force in this election, clearly designed to function well within Facebook’s economy of sharing. And it probably would not run afoul of the narrow definition of “fake news.”
.. .. criticism of Mr. Trump was instantly projected back at his opponent, or at the critics themselves. “No puppet. No puppet. You’re the puppet.”
.. This tactic was used on the language of social justice, which was appropriated by opponents and redeployed nihilistically, in an open effort to sap its power while simultaneously taking advantage of what power it retained. Anti-racists were cast as the real racists. Progressives were cast as secretly regressive on their own terms.
.. It didn’t matter that its targets knew that it was a bad-faith maneuver, a clear bid for power rather than an attempt to engage or reason.
.. “Fake news” as shorthand will almost surely be returned upon the media tenfold.
Hazy Skies in Hong Kong? Just Pose With a Fake Skyline
Hong Kong’s skyline, featuring dozens of brightly-lit high-rises wrapping around Victoria Harbor, is justifiably famous, and one of the main draws in the city’s $37 billion tourism industry. Unfortunately, Hong Kong’s recent urban haze is more than just a health hazard: It also ruins perfectly decent photo opportunities.So in an inspired attempt to placate disappointed tourists, large, blue-sky banners of the skyline have appeared along the city’s harbor-front walkway. For these tourists, it’s a perfect solution — so long as the actual, gray sky doesn’t creep into the shot.