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19th February 2019 15:01
Link to Post #1
Why Does the MSM Keep Falling for Obvious Hoaxes?
This is simple to understand, Trump, anything that make him look bad is fair game ... why does the msm keep falling for obvious hoaxes? Because they are Trump haters it's that simple....
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Why Does the MSM Keep Falling for Obvious Hoaxes?
By Debra Heine February 18, 2019
https://pjmedia.com/trending/why-doe...bvious-hoaxes/
Another clueless reporter is *shocked* that the Jussie Smollett story turned out to be a hoax:
This is just sad:
The national outrage that simmered after actor Jussie Smollett said he was attacked by people shouting racial and anti-gay slurs was fueled in part by celebrities who spoke out loud and strong on social media.
But the outrage has now been replaced by surprise, doubt and bafflement as the singers, actors and politicians who came out in support of the “Empire” star struggle to digest the strange twists the case has taken. Some conservative pundits, meanwhile, have gleefully seized on the moment.
The narrative that just a week ago seemed cut-and-dry has become messy and divisive — and it’s all playing out again on social media.
If there was a "national outrage" over the dubious incident, it was limited to gullible left-wing journalists, celebrities, politicians, and activists.
The "narrative" only seemed "cut-and-dry" to people who were looking at the case through lenses clouded by their anti-Trump bias. It seemed made up to those of us who noticed that Smollett's allegations were outlandish, implausible, and riddled with inconsistencies from the get-go.
Man Pulls a Gun on Sam's Club Customer Wearing MAGA Hat
Yet even as his story started falling apart (which happened almost immediately), the national media clung to their precious narrative.
There's been much commentary in the past few days about the MSM's lack of critical thinking skills in covering not only the Jussie Smollett "hate crime" fairy tale, but a number of other bogus stories as well.
Over the years, the MSM has fallen for hundreds of hate crime hoaxes, reporting on them as if they were confirmed facts, rather than mere allegations. By the time the story is proven to be a hoax, the media has already moved on to the next manufactured outrage. This phenomenon has only increased since the election of President Trump. Yet people still expressed shock and surprise when it became obvious that Smollett had staged his own hate crime.
Author Roxane Gay tweeted Saturday that she doesn’t know what to say, but that the situation is a “mess” and a “travesty.”
“I genuinely thought no one, and especially no one that famous, could make something like that up,” Gay wrote. “The lie is so damaging. The time the CPD has spent/wasted on this. The people who supported him.”
The AP goes on to note that "there is a consensus among those who very vocally supported Smollett from the outset, it’s that no matter what happens in this case, they will still believe victims."
DuVernay said: “Whatever the outcome, this won’t stop me from believing others. It can’t.”
Gay echoed her sentiments, tweeting that she does not regret believing Smollett.
“I’m not going to stop believing people who say they have suffered,” Gay wrote. “Because more often than not they are telling the truth.”
They say this even as the egg is still dripping from their faces. Meanwhile, Trump supporters who are sick of being smeared are said to be "gleeful" because another hate crime manufactured to make them look bad turned out to be a hoax.
Will Jussie Smollett Go to Prison for Sending Himself a Fake Threatening Letter?
But fake hate crimes aren't the only type of bogus story the MSM routinely falls for.
In the past two years the national media has also rushed to embrace the phony Steele dossier, a multitude of fake Deep State leaks on the Trump/Russia probe that turned out to be spectacularly wrong, the outlandish Kavanaugh smears, and the Covington smears.
PJ Media's own Roger Simon called the media's propensity for believing the unbelievable "magical thinking."
Good Therapy defines magical thinking as "the belief that one’s own thoughts, wishes, or desires can influence the external world. It is common in very young children. A four-year-old child, for example, might believe that after wishing for a pony, one will appear at his or her house."
Another possible explanation for the media's gullibility would be confirmation bias, which is defined as "the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses." The overwhelmingly liberal media tend to embrace stories that confirm their own biases and ignore those that don't.
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The Federalist's Mollie Hemingway meanwhile bluntly noted on Twitter that much of the media's credulous reporting on dubious stories in recent months can be explained by the fact that a lot of reporters just aren't terribly bright.
However, many commenters here at PJ Media and elsewhere are convinced that the media -- en masse -- knew the story was bogus from the start, but pushed it anyway because it fit their anti-Trump narrative. That may be true for some in the media, but I think that's giving most of them too much credit.
I suspect that a combination of all of the above can explain the epidemic of fake news in the past few years. Their left-wing bias has been a disgrace for decades and it it's only getting worse. Sadly, there's no reason to believe it won't continue to sully their reportage for the foreseeable future.
How the Media Failed Again on the Jussie Smollett Hoax
Last edited by ramus; 19th February 2019 at 15:03.
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19th February 2019 15:14
Link to Post #2
Re: Why Does the MSM Keep Falling for Obvious Hoaxes?
More background on the case:
Jussie Smollett Case: Clues Into Potential Motive Behind The Attack
By Charlie De Mar, Brad Edwards, Suzanne LeMignotBy Charlie De Mar
February 18, 2019 at 10:10 pm
Filed Under:Empire, Jussie Smollett, Jussie Smollett Attack
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/02...staged-attack/
(CBS) –“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, upset after a racist letter sent to the show’s studio didn’t get a “bigger reaction,” is suspected of paying two men to attack him a week later, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.
“When the letter didn’t get enough attention, he concocted the staged attack,” a source told CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards. Other sources corroborated that information.
(CBS) –“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, upset after a racist letter sent to the show’s studio didn’t get a “bigger reaction,” is suspected of paying two men to attack him a week later, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.
“When the letter didn’t get enough attention, he concocted the staged attack,” a source told CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards. Other sources corroborated that information.
TIMELINE: Key Developments In The Jussie Smollett Case
FULL COVERAGE: Read CBS 2’s Coverage Of The Case
The blockbuster revelation into at least part of Smollett’s potential motive comes two days after CBS 2’s Charlie De Mar reported Smollett and two brothers — Ola and Abel Osundairo — staged the attack on Jan. 29 in Streeterville.
De Mar spoke on the phone exclusively with the Osundairo brothers Monday afternoon. In a joint statement, they said: “We are not racist. We are not homophobic and we are not anti-Trump. We were born and raised in Chicago and are American citizens.”
Smollett received a letter containing a white powder Jan. 22. The letter was mailed to Chicago’s Cinespace Studios, where the show “Empire” is filmed. The letter prompted a HAZMAT response. CPD says the “white substance” was later determined to be aspirin.
The note was crafted with letters apparently cut out from magazines to form words. The pieced-together message contained racial and homophobic threats directed at Smollett. A magazine is one of the pieces of evidence retrieved from the brother’s home last week during a search conducted by CPD. Investigators also recovered a book of stamps.
The brothers are acquaintances of Smollett.
When asked about the letter in a televised interview last week, Smollett said, “On the letter, it had a stick figure hanging from a tree with a gun pointing toward it.” It also had “MAGA” — reference to President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan Make America Great Again – written as the return address.
“In due course all the facts will reveal themselves, and at the end of the day, my clients are honest and credible,” the brothers’ attorney Gloria Schmidt said.
During the search of the brothers’ home last week, a “piece of paper/writing” was also seized. CBS 2 is the only news source with video from inside that house. Police evidence logs exclusively obtained by CBS 2, show investigators took the writing sample, magazine, and a “wallet with stamps.”
Chicago police say the FBI is handling the investigation surrounding the letter, because that’s a federal-level concern.
Smollett claims two men attacked him in Streeterville early Jan. 29 as he was heading to his apartment. He said they yelled racial and homophobic slurs at him, poured a chemical on him and put a rope around his neck.
Sources say at least one of the brothers bought the rope used in the incident at Smollett’s request. The sources also say the “Empire” actor paid for the rope, which was purchased at the Crafty Beaver Hardware Store in the Ravenswood neighborhood the weekend of Jan. 25.
Sources said one of the brothers held the rope and poured bleach while the other wore a plain red hat and yelled slurs at Smollett.
The sources say the red hat was bought at an Uptown beauty supply store and that the attack was supposed to happen before Jan. 29. The brothers told detectives the three men rehearsed the attack days prior to it happening. Smollett paid the brothers $3,500.
When Edwards reached out to CPD, immediately prior to this reporting, a spokesperson responded via text:
“We are not doing any interviews or making any official statements until we can corroborate some information that was shared with police. Until we meet with the Empire cast member, we are not able to confirm, deny or comment on any of the information that was released unofficially.
“When this investigation is over, we will have a detailed accounting of the case. While we are not in a position to confirm, deny or comment on the validity of what’s been unofficially released, there are some developments in this investigation and detectives have some follow-ups to complete which include additional investigation and speaking to the individual who reported the incident.”Smollett’s lawyers replied to request for comment on the new allegations with the following statement:
“We are not going to respond to every new, anonymous accusation or rumor. Jussie Smollett’s lawyers are in contact with the Chicago Police Department. Jussie will continue to cooperate with the investigation in an appropriate and respectful manner that does not include talking to media at this time.”
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19th February 2019 16:18
Link to Post #3