Finland is winning the war on fake news. What it’s learned may be crucial to Western democracy

Helsinki, Finland (CNN) – On a recent afternoon in Helsinki, a group of students gathered to hear a lecture on a subject that is far from a staple in most community college curriculums.

Standing in front of the classroom at Espoo Adult Education Centre, Jussi Toivanen worked his way through his PowerPoint presentation. A slide titled “Have you been hit by the Russian troll army?” included a checklist of methods used to deceive readers on social media: image and video manipulations, half-truths, intimidation and false profiles.

Another slide, featuring a diagram of a Twitter profile page, explained how to identify bots: look for stock photos, assess the volume of posts per day, check for inconsistent translations and a lack of personal information.

The lesson wrapped with a popular “deepfake” — highly realistic manipulated video or audio — of Barack Obama to highlight the challenges of the information war ahead.

The course is part of an anti-fake news initiative launched by Finland’s government in 2014 – two years before Russia meddled in the US elections – aimed at teaching residents, students, journalists and politicians how to counter false information designed to sow division.

cnn

I urge all members read this. Fake mostly political news is destroying western democracy. Are you part of the problem or apart of the solution? Critical thinking is one of the keys for success against the fake news that is undermining our society.

We are witnessing first hand the devastating effects of this Russian based fake news is having on our society. Are you going to roll over and accept this or are you going to stand up and question what your being spoon fed daily by nefarious sources?

Is critical thinking dead in the USA?

a reply to: LDragonFire

All the fake news I see comes from CNN and other mainstream liberal media.

Is critical thinking dead in the USA?

Apparently so, since you think Russia is the purveyor of fake news.

90% of fake and "manipulated" news comes from the "Western" bananaMSMmob 😆😎

And most of it pro-Liberal/American Democrat 🍌🐡🤣

CNN is engaged in a "butter-up" operation ahead of the soon to be exposed declass exposures that will end careers
🐶🐱🐭🐹🐰🦊

This is what Russia wants you to think. You can thank the free press for the freedoms you have. Yes it's corporate media, but thats the capitalist way.

a reply to: LDragonFire

A thread about "The War on Fake News" sourcing the biggest fake news/propaganda outlet in the world.

HONK HONK

It truly is Clown World.
SMFH

Former tea partiers now trumpers look how easily you have been manipulated.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
This is what Russia wants you to think. You can thank the free press for the freedoms you have. Yes it's corporate media, but thats the capitalist way.

I don't listen to Russia, so what they want is meaningless. I see on a daily basis CNN liberal media fake news.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
Former tea partiers now trumpers look how easily you have been manipulated.

I was never Tea Party and did not vote for Trump, you think the way you think because YOU were manipulated by fake news. There is none more blind than the man who refuses to see.

Read and evaluate every major story. Look how wrong the NYT, WaPo, CNN, CBS, MSNBC, and others have been in recent years. You can tell they are singing the tune of something other than actual truth. We used to fall for it because they were considered "reliable", but now we know they are not so much.

It takes time, but it's best to study the court documents, the .gov sites, the trail of money exchanges, political connections to certain firms and "players", and, of course, listen with hearing ears.

When a news agency says, "sources close to the situation", or "a person or persons familiar with the situation", or "a person wishing to remain anonymous", stop and "listen" carefully.

Notice when they use adjectives in a hidden biased way.

For instance, CNN has a headline today: "Trump arrives in Japan eager for flattery and pomp". Yes...Trump arrived in Japan today. That part is true. But, notice the little dig by fake news CNN. Was President Trump actually EAGER for flattery? Read it. The answer is NO. But, many readers will read only the headline and believe it to be true.

There are hundreds of articles like this by the above-mentioned enemedia. You have to get smart and realize that maybe they are in the hands of the "Russians". Maybe "Russians" has become a cliche.

a reply to: LDragonFire

Wtf are you blathering about?

Thank CNN for my freedom?

If you went to college you wasted your money.

Hoooooly s#.

Remember when Davis publicly came forward and said the CNN story that Cohen was telling Mueller "he was present when Donald Trump Jr. told his father about the Russians’ offer to share dirt on Mrs. Clinton, and that Mr. Trump gave approval for the meeting to take place" was incorrect. I do. I remember CNN saying they stand by their story, refusing to retract it, and still running with it, AFTER their source said it was fake news.

Guess what, it turned out to be a lie. CNN knew it was wrong, they kept reporting it.

But Russia.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
This is what Russia wants you to think. You can thank the free press for the freedoms you have. Yes it's corporate media, but thats the capitalist way.

Who cares what "Russia" wants anybody to *"think"* ? 😆

The declass will blow it all out of the water anyway 😎

CNN running a story on how to combat fake news??....dear lord.....

a reply to: Flatcoat

They say it takes one to know one. CNN is the biggest purveyor of fake news there is, so they know all about it.

Two things can be true at once folks. Russia most certainly stokes the fires with divisive issues online. This is a fact. Antivaxxers, black lives matter, white supremacists etc...have all been severely manipulated by Russian troll farms.

Also CNN, FOX, Breitbart, MsNBC have helped divisive nature through ultra partisanship news and echo chamber amplification.

a reply to: luthier

Oh of course. Russia is not the problem, they are a PART of the problem. It's just rich coming from CNN, kind of like Ted Bundy complaining about another murderer.

Russia's goal was to divide us, well it worked we are certainly divided. Unless we can come back together despite or differing political opinions , we are living in the last days of the USA.

a reply to: LDragonFire

Russia did nothing. Clinton calling half the country a basket of deplorables and CNN and other liberal media non stop bashing Republicans is what divided us. Russia is basically at the bottom of the list of who caused division.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
Russia's goal was to divide us, well it worked we are certainly divided. Unless we can come back together despite or differing political opinions , we are living in the last days of the USA.

"We" were divided long before "Russia" 😎

Butter-up the bread and make sure both sides are covered 😎