For those who think Democracy should be
a collaborative experience.
July 21, 2008
What’s wrong with this picture? ~ Most of this email has been verified by Snopes.com
A friend sent me an email forward with some alarming claims and predictions. The email noted the “most of these claims have been verified by Snopes,” (the main urban myth checking site.)
So I checked Snopes and discovered that most of the claims were, in fact, verified by Snopes. And some were discredited. The alarming predictions of impending terrorist attacks in American cities were four years old and expired.
Why forward an email that you know contains alarming errors? Why not correct it before you send it?
That’s what I call sloppy, irresponsible communication. The responsible communicators will challenge these emails rather than pass them on.
July 10, 2008
Guest post ~ Spinning in China and anti-cnn.com
I teach in China, where there are few alternative views to government propaganda. As blatant as it is, most people here actually are not aware that they are receiving propaganda.
After the events in Tibet in March, the overwhelming majority of students told me and wrote in the journals that CNN is so biased against China. When I asked them if they had read the original articles or seen the CNN newscasts on TV, not a single one had.
They had gone to a website, anti-cnn.com, whose author remains anonymous and whose purpose is unknown.
However, the government had picked up on the story. It makes a convenient way to shut down alternative viewpoints in the run-up to the Olympics or at least get the people to discount them.
I may not get anyone to change their viewpoints by suggesting they read the sources, but I do what I can.
Please keep this anonymous – it’s not safe for me to post my name.
Unite and Concur Pressroom