How fake news from Macedonia influenced USA election

After reading ATS for couple of days and just astonishing misuse of news and absence of fact checking, this seems rather appropriate topic. I see fake news being spread here without much problem...

How Teens In The Balkans Are Duping Trump Supporters With Fake News

“This is the news of the millennium!” said the story on WorldPoliticus.com. Citing unnamed FBI sources, it claimed Hillary Clinton will be indicted in 2017 for crimes related to her email scandal.

“Your Prayers Have Been Answered,” declared the headline.

For Trump supporters, that certainly seemed to be the case. They helped the baseless story generate over 140,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook.

Meanwhile, roughly 6,000 miles away in a small town in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, a young man watched as money began trickling into his Google AdSense account.

Over the past year, the Macedonian town of Veles (population 45,000) has experienced a digital gold rush as locals launched at least 140 US politics websites. These sites have American-sounding domain names such as WorldPoliticus.com, TrumpVision365.com, USConservativeToday.com, DonaldTrumpNews.co, and USADailyPolitics.com. They almost all publish aggressively pro-Trump content aimed at conservatives and Trump supporters in the US.

The young Macedonians who run these sites say they don’t care about Donald Trump. They are responding to straightforward economic incentives: As Facebook regularly reveals in earnings reports, a US Facebook user is worth about four times a user outside the US. The fraction-of-a-penny-per-click of US display advertising — a declining market for American publishers — goes a long way in Veles. Several teens and young men who run these sites told BuzzFeed News that they learned the best way to generate traffic is to get their politics stories to spread on Facebook — and the best way to generate shares on Facebook is to publish sensationalist and often false content that caters to Trump supporters.

Facebook, google and twitter are working on fixing the issue, even I don't see how they can do it, as someone rather has fake news, then something that interferes with his views... How should ATS approach this? (In my memories ATS used to be fact-driven - deny ignorance site, today not so much...)

a reply to: SuperFrog

Maybe Hillary should shoulder the blame for her LOSS, instead of blaming her defeat on other teenagers in other countries.

Apparently, the truth is what we want it to be.

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: SuperFrog

Maybe Hillary should shoulder the blame for her LOSS, instead of blaming her defeat on other teenagers in other countries.

There was no mentioning of Hillary in OP, or anywhere in news. You are bit off topic here.

Why so offensive??

You are clearly off topic, and somehow I have a feeling that you found yourself in this news. Were you part of happy clicker/spread of fake news/??

a reply to: SuperFrog

First of all, check sources. If there is only one source, and the headline is outstanding in its potential ramifications, then you may need to look deeper before posting.

Second, use your wits. If a thing posted on the net does not gel with everything you know about the subject, then scrutinise the source with extreme care.

Third, make a list of sites for yourself, which you believe, on balance, to be purveyors of factually deficient articles.

Forth, check out ATS's resources, to see if the site you are looking at has been mentioned before, and whether it is on the list of questionable sources.

Fifth, remember to write your own thread. Its very important to have a source for your thread, if possible several. But what is also important is that you write a thread from your perspective, not a thread which slavishly follows and over quotes an article you read. The reason for that is that forcing yourself to discuss the topics fundamentals will almost always result in better and more complete understanding of the topic, even if you know those fundamentals well.

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: SuperFrog

Maybe Hillary should shoulder the blame for her LOSS, instead of blaming her defeat on other teenagers in other countries.

Now come on
That's just silly, Hillary could never be accountable for anything

a reply to: SuperFrog

There is no evidence on whether fake news sites are a problem. Because something was shared, reacted to, or commented upon, does not mean it caused any irreparable harm.

ATS should approach sources like they always do, namely, exposing where they are wrong, and emphasizing where they are right.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: SuperFrog

First of all, check sources. If there is only one source, and the headline is outstanding in its potential ramifications, then you may need to look deeper before posting.

Second, use your wits. If a thing posted on the net does not gel with everything you know about the subject, then scrutinise the source with extreme care.

Third, make a list of sites for yourself, which you believe, on balance, to be purveyors of factually deficient articles.

Forth, check out ATS's resources, to see if the site you are looking at has been mentioned before, and whether it is on the list of questionable sources.

Fifth, remember to write your own thread. Its very important to have a source for your thread, if possible several. But what is also important is that you write a thread from your perspective, not a thread which slavishly follows and over quotes an article you read. The reason for that is that forcing yourself to discuss the topics fundamentals will almost always result in better and more complete understanding of the topic, even if you know those fundamentals well.

First of all, find something sensational. Sensation leads to interest, the more divisive the better.

Second, consider the audience. Will my thread garner a number of flags and attract the echo chamber to validate my views?

Third, make the thread! So long as the linked information is controversial, very little actual commentary is needed to boost the thread. People want controversy that validates their viewpoint.

Forth, even better if the thread insults a large group of people I don't know.

Fifth, sit back and watch the hate spread.

a reply to: SuperFrog

What offense?

What is the difference between a fake story made up by random people from another country and a fake news story made up by CNN? Both duped plenty of people this year.

originally posted by: SuperFrog

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: SuperFrog

Maybe Hillary should shoulder the blame for her LOSS, instead of blaming her defeat on other teenagers in other countries.

There was no mentioning of Hillary in OP, or anywhere in news. You are bit off topic here.

Why so offensive??

You are clearly off topic, and somehow I have a feeling that you found yourself in this news. Were you part of happy clicker/spread of fake news/??

Please point out what you found to be offensive.
If you expect me to change anything, I need to know where I went so wrong.

This is from your OP....

“This is the news of the millennium!” said the story on WorldPoliticus.com. Citing unnamed FBI sources, it claimed Hillary Clinton will be indicted in 2017 for crimes related to her email scandal.

I did a red highlight for you.

a reply to: TrueBritYou forgot the fifth one. Set up your own site and sit back and watch the money roll in. I am still not tech savvy and cannot see how people can make money out of a site.

a reply to: TrueBritYou forgot the fifth one. Set up your own site and sit back and watch the money roll in. I am still not tech savvy and cannot see how people can make money out of a site.

Lets see:
Comey - check
Media - check
Foreign Nationals - check
Wikileaks - check
Trump - check
Deplorables - check
Weather - check
Illegal votes not all counted - check
Deceased votes not all counted - check
Nancy Pelosi - check (WTH)
Come on , I know there are more reasons....

originally posted by: ksiezyc
a reply to: SuperFrog

What offense?

Rather then commenting opening post, blaming it on Clinton for unknown reason?!

Topic is about fake news and how it influenced our election.

originally posted by: jjkenobi
What is the difference between a fake story made up by random people from another country and a fake news story made up by CNN? Both duped plenty of people this year.

Care to provide proof of CNN spreading fake news?

From what I remember, just before election, only network that was spreading fake news was Fox News, and they apologized for wrongdoing.


@butcherguy - Don't you see irony that you actually linked Hillary to fake news about her and posted like if she was involved?!


It is no secret that all news channels in USA are sensational...

Interesting article about 'fake news' and how good are they for business: www.bbc.co.uk...

a reply to: SuperFrog

@butcherguy - Don't you see irony that you actually linked Hillary to fake news about her and posted like if she was involved?!

I was showing how your statement that 'Hillary was not mentioned in the OP or news' was dead wrong. That is all I was showing.

Your title for the thread is this:

How fake news from Macedonia influenced USA election

Are you going to try and tell me that Hillary was not involved.... even if your OP says she is?

I was not influenced by fake news.
My mind was made up on Hillary long before she announced her candidacy.


Oh, BTW....
What did you find to be 'offensive' in my first post in this thread?

a reply to: SuperFrog

If you did a search for How Teens In The Balkans Are Duping Trump Supporters With Fake News you'd have found this...

Clickbait Election! How Teens In The Balkans Are Duping Trump Supporters With Fake News.

Seems this is just a duplicate of that story...

a reply to: butcherguy

Still off topic and still off mark... Hillary did not give any statement regarding fake news as far as I know, and only mentioning of her name was as title of 'fake' news that in my opinion did influence voters.

Now, that you know it did not influence you, please stay on topic and avoid derailing of discussion - Topic is 'fake news and influence on usa election'.

and, how many threads have been made trying to limit who can vote on ATS.... claiming that large groups are too stupid to vote??
ya know what, I don't care if the fake news is coming from teenagers in far away lands or the news corps here in america.

you can't have informed voters if the truth is so blatantly overshadowed by lies!!!
a democracy can't function on lies, and neither can our government and be expected to have good results.
so, yea, this is everybody's concern!!

originally posted by: SuperFrog
a reply to: butcherguy

Still off topic and still of mark... Hillary did not give any statement regarding fake news as far as I know, and only mentioning of her name was as title of 'fake' news that in my opinion did influence voters.

Now, that you know it did not influence you, please stay on topic or avoid derailing of discussion - Topic is 'fake news and influence on usa election'.

You seem to be in denial that Hillary was involved in the election.
You blamed me for being offensive, and still have not pointed out which part of my post offended someone (I am presuming it was you).
Can you let me know what was offensive. My goal is not to be offensive, so your help is appreciated.