Obama attacks "conspiracy theorists". Says "we" need to "rebuild" the flow of information.

Obama: We Have to Change ‘Wild West’ Media Landscape.

Pittsburgh (AFP) – President Barack Obama on Thursday decried America’s “wild, wild west” media environment for allowing conspiracy theorists a broad platform and destroying a common basis for debate.

Look Mr. Obama, why are you so worried about these "wacky conspiracy theorists" if what they're/we're saying has no basis in truth?

And by "conspiracy theorist", I'm guessing you mean anyone who questions/doubts the official story or establishment position.

Recalling past days when three television channels delivered fact-based news that most people trusted, Obama said democracy require citizens to be able to sift through lies and distortions.

Oh yah, the good ol' days when 3 networks provided you with the necessary amount of propaganda, I mean "news".

Actually, things arent much different today:

“There has to be, I think, some sort of way in which we can sort through information that passes some basic truthiness tests and those that we have to discard, because they just don’t have any basis in anything that’s actually happening in the world,” Obama added.

Funny you should say that Mr. Obama because the CIA/NSA front company known as Google has the perfect solution:


Google to highlight fact-checking articles with new labels.

Articles appearing in Google News that meet the search giant's definition of checking facts will now display a small tag saying this is the case.

Isnt that sweet?

Google will now be so kind as to tell you which sites/articles are "true/real" and which ones you should simply ignore because they havent been "fact checked"...

Think ATS will make the cut?

Of course he is saying this.

They have to do something about all the verified leaks and reports coming out.

Well... I guess the only thing I can say about this is "At least he is being honest with us". But it is too little, to late. We know he doesn't want the "truth" leaking out anymore.

a reply to: gladtobehere

You can't have an effective police-state if people are going around thinking freely.

Let the truth flow while we still can!!!

So basically he's saying just stick to CNN for the true info !

Nothing like trying to put the jack back in it's box .

originally posted by: Denoli
So basically he's saying just stick to CNN for the true info !

Nothing like trying to put the jack back in it's box .

I think it is far more sinister than that. Look at this as laying the groundwork for Hillary Clinton to enact policies that shut down sources of information that do not conform to the government's stated and required narrative of events and interpretation of data.

In the USA there is a penchant to give a title to a piece of legislation that is the opposite of its true intent or predicted result (think Affordable Care Act), so look for massive censorship under some sort of "American Fairness in Media" legislation which is neither "American" nor "Fair".

a reply to: gladtobehere

news like this just wants me to research and expose more

Thanks Obama. PS Remember Fast and Furious Scandal? And further selling out America through the TPP, as well as negotiating with terrorists? I guess maybe those are some of the reasons he's upset?

Free thinkers are dangerous to the Establishment, we have to believe what we are told by them and their mouthpieces, along with continuing to watch reality T.V, where some nobody promotes whatever the Establishment tell them to promote.

Unaware and compliant citizenry is the order of the day.

a reply to: gladtobehere

“There has to be, I think, some sort of way in which we can sort through information that passes some basic truthiness tests and those that we have to discard, because they just don’t have any basis in anything that’s actually happening in the world,” Obama added.

truthiness........really

....your not even trying anymore

BOOO

“There has to be, I think, some sort of way in which we can sort through information that passes some basic truthiness tests and those that we have to discard, because they just don’t have any basis in anything that’s actually happening in the world”

I'm assuming "we" here is referring to US citizens in general rather than the US Government in particular.

I don't see the problem here, or at least not so much of a problem as is feared.

Anyone who uses it regularly will have to agree that the internet contains an awful lot of crap. It's frustrating and unrewarding. Flagging up debunks (as Google proposes) is the exact opposite of censorship.

And since the internet consists of what internet users do with it, if these debunks turn out to be propaganda or otherwise unreliable, the sites themselves will soon be shunned, avoided, and ridiculed. So, it's a sort of informational arms race, in which the public always has the next move ready. (Something of the sort has already happened to snopes.com which for some mysterious reason has become the target of scorn from conspiracy-watchers. I don't understand this at all).

But my guess is that Obama is just generally rubbishing the internet because of Wikileaks threatening Clinton's chances, and encouraging people to rely on the old media as time-honored 'informational gatekeepers' (i.e., they are (according to BO) already performing the fact-checking duties he is referring to).

The scary thing is that a significant amount of people agree with him. When this story first appeared a couple of days ago, a number of people on numerous sites across the web were agreeing and saying that media should have to be fact checked before posting a story. Really? The question that I posed is who does the fact checking? And who fact checks the fact checkers? Still haven't gotten an answer

hey,
it sounds like to me that 'we' him/us he hopes should cooperate with each other when a query is presented in an open forum?

he can ask me where unicorns are born and I'll tell him; north korea...

kinda like a little jab on my way out of my office?



i live in a barn!

a reply to: gladtobehere

"We need to rebuild the flow of information so politicians can
lie, steal, cheat and murder freely ".
And people continue to vote with a clear conscience.

a reply to: Cobaltic1978

I know, they allow crap to be pushed on the population (including rubbish for food) and then tell everyone they can't speak freely but still have to hand him his check every month via Taxes. This won't end well for the Establishment.

Looks like we're going to have to go back to shortwave radio...

ATS will just be a bunch of people yelling over each other on their ham radios.

originally posted by: Arizonaguy
The scary thing is that a significant amount of people agree with him. When this story first appeared a couple of days ago, a number of people on numerous sites across the web were agreeing and saying that media should have to be fact checked before posting a story. Really? The question that I posed is who does the fact checking? And who fact checks the fact checkers? Still haven't gotten an answer

livestream theatre one topic at a time---we'll see who attends what and be able to tell what's his/her bucket to wake up...

think of cspan being interactive...
how many jobs for average joes like me?

furthering that thought-
i could represent myself and do away with the facade of a representative?

a reply to: gladtobehere

I fear we have no choice but to rebel.

If there were or are options so as to just ignore that which was sinister in exchange for the comfort the system did provide, they are fast becoming irrelevant.

Without the free flow of information we would not be able to discern when a danger to us is posed by our leadership. Any comfort is not enough if at any point an end game scenario can be played on us which terminates our lives or freedoms.

I hate to say it, but perhaps a violent revolution will become the only remaining option once information is restricted along with free discourse and open challenge to ideas the population does not accept.

All kings die, all kingdoms fall. Only the people remain.

Please dont be idiots and just accept that absolute power will be NO ONES EVER

As much as we are to accept our lot and live to the best of our abilities, our ruling class must accept their lot and control what they can with both just enjoying the station they have been granted in what ever measure it is given.

a reply to: tadaman

I fear we have no choice but to rebel.

I'm ready to side with you.
George was right! Carlin that is.
Massive bloodshed.

a reply to: Arizonaguy

When this story first appeared a couple of days ago, a number of people on numerous sites across the web were agreeing and saying that media should have to be fact checked before posting a story. Really?

Ah, you always get these sorts of nitwits, on both sides of the left/right divide. They don't understand how stories are put together, or what the media are actually for. They're obviously ignorant, for example, of the fact that the journalistic production process is meant to have fact-checking built into it (and it usually works too well, which is why some very spicy stories don't make the cut).

Given the polarisation of media consumption in the US, I am willing to bet a goodly sum that most of those demanding 'pre-fact-checked stories' are political partisans who live in a constant state of fury that the media are able to relay facts, views, and opinions that don't correspond with their own individual world-view.