Has Drudge Report Become Fake News?
My morning coffee ritual includes opening up News Blur. In case you have never heard of it, News Blur picked up the slack when Google announced it would no longer carry Google Reader about 8 years ago. And what News Blur is and Google Reader was is a web app that allows you to subscribe to several RSS feeds. This way you can be informed about news perspectives from journalists from all over the world. And by comparing and contrasting top stories you can strengthen your discernment muscle. And also, you will begin to notice what news is left out of the USA news cycles. And sometimes what is left out can be very revealing.
A screen grab from my own NewsBlur feeds. I subscribe to a wide variety of RSS News feeds to stay sharp and on top of what is news and what is sensationalistic #FakeNews
One of the feeds I subscribe to is Deutsche Welle News. This is the German state run news agency. And while it is generally full of propaganda that is pro-Merkel and pro-EU, I check it once a week as I like to watch videos on German and European art, fashion, travel, technology, and automotive news. It's a nice way to keep up with my German Heritage, well 1/2 of my heritage at least.
And, the nice thing about using News Blur is that you can compare what other agencies and aggregators are posting. And over time, you can spot trends. Something I never thought I'd say, but I've spotted a trend with Drudge Report where I think he is pushing a very negative view of MAGA. Not sure what the motivation could be. But, his top headline this morning was about how cold Chicago is today. Maybe I got up a lot earlier than Matt Drudge today. Conversely, Deutsche Welle News carried a story that is very important to anyone who supports Trump in his quest to rid the USA of the foreign influence and drain the swamp.
The story that the Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker held a press conference stating indictments for Huawei, a Chinese cell phone maker, should be huge news. But, the fact that it was on a German state run news agency and not on what is supposedly the cornerstone of American news aggregators allowed my suspicion of Drudge Report to boil over. You see for about a year now, I've noticed that Drudge Report seemed to carry sensationalistic stories that seemed to paint a very negative picture of the entire MAGA movement and drain the swamp idea. And of course Drudge Report carries any story that hints that Trump might be impeached.
Will the Huawei CEO indictment lead to discoveries that will bring down others in a grand conspiracy backed by China and Globalist hacks?
And as we know, there are absolutely no grounds for impeachment of President Donald Trump. And seeing this scenario pushed over and over is what initially raised my suspicion about Drudge Report. Noticing this on my own reminds me that we have to be ever vigilant in our perceptions. And the classic phrase, "Think for yourself. Question Authority.", might be your greatest ally in the information war.
You can download Newsblur here - https://newsblur.com and it's also available in on the Google Play Store.
Curated for #informationwar (by @wakeupnd)
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Thanks!
I find myself having to sift through what I think is just crap and that which is likely not and then try to verify the former elsewhere...seems this started last year. I agree.
I appreciate the agreement. For a while I thought I was trapped in a kind of Phillip K Dick alternate universe.
remember when we didn't have to download a specific app just to get a variety of journalistic viewpoints?
I try not to focus too much on the news media cycle and it's incessant outrage-of-the-week loopings as it's too depressing.
When I do want to know as much as possibly about a current event, I will generally go and find what's current and use search engines outside of Google when I seek information.
I also think news aggregrator sites are great which sounds much like News Blur's function as an app. I like jimmyr.com as a daily distraction but treat spidr.today as far superior to any other portal or aggregator I have tried before.
Regarding Drudge? I really don't know. Have read maybe a handful of his work over the decade or so.
Well a news aggregator would be like Drudgereport or Rense.com. NewsBlur allows you to subscribe to all sorts of RSS feeds. I also subscribe to 3D Studio Max and After Effect tutorials.
I suppose it could be seen as a distraction. But, for me is a tool to help me write this blog.