Steve Rogers (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
heroic_jawline) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2017-11-10 04:50 pm
heroic_jawline) wrote in fandomhigh2017-11-10 04:50 pm
Entry tags:
Civics, Friday, November 10, 2017
"Right," Steve said, looking generally disappointed with humanity, "if you've been watching the news, you've probably felt the need for a good, long, hot shower, and to maybe hit things very hard."
"For a wide variety of reasons," Tony added. "But a lot of focus is being put on so-called fake news."
"Now, there's definitely something called propaganda," Steve said, "which is defined as information put out with a definite angle to promote a particular point of view. You see a lot of it on posters, for instance, in wartime. Loose lips sink ships, all that sort of thing. Playing up an enemy's viciousness, trying to dehumanize them--that's all straight out of the propaganda playbook, and could be categorized as fake news. What can't be considered fake is actual things that happened that you just don't like."
Steve was so, so frustrated.
"Which isn't to say healthy skepticism over media is a bad thing," Tony said. "But that is between the extremes of believing a news source without question and rejecting it outright because you don't like what they're saying. And it doesn't help that we've had entertainment muddying the waters of legitimate journalism for the past decade or two."
Steve nodded vehemently. "So today we're going to spend time on learning how to be a responsible consumer of news, which means you need to check sources and read from a variety of outlets, most of which should not have 'freedom' 'red' or 'trump is amazing' in their names."
"Or fair and balanced." Be nice, Tony.
Steve snorted. "You can read fair and balanced. You just can't back them up with Red State and Infowars because they're propaganda."
"So, let's get on the internet and check some sources," Tony said, clapping his hands together.
"For a wide variety of reasons," Tony added. "But a lot of focus is being put on so-called fake news."
"Now, there's definitely something called propaganda," Steve said, "which is defined as information put out with a definite angle to promote a particular point of view. You see a lot of it on posters, for instance, in wartime. Loose lips sink ships, all that sort of thing. Playing up an enemy's viciousness, trying to dehumanize them--that's all straight out of the propaganda playbook, and could be categorized as fake news. What can't be considered fake is actual things that happened that you just don't like."
Steve was so, so frustrated.
"Which isn't to say healthy skepticism over media is a bad thing," Tony said. "But that is between the extremes of believing a news source without question and rejecting it outright because you don't like what they're saying. And it doesn't help that we've had entertainment muddying the waters of legitimate journalism for the past decade or two."
Steve nodded vehemently. "So today we're going to spend time on learning how to be a responsible consumer of news, which means you need to check sources and read from a variety of outlets, most of which should not have 'freedom' 'red' or 'trump is amazing' in their names."
"Or fair and balanced." Be nice, Tony.
Steve snorted. "You can read fair and balanced. You just can't back them up with Red State and Infowars because they're propaganda."
"So, let's get on the internet and check some sources," Tony said, clapping his hands together.
Research!