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Hillary Clinton Slams Fake News In First Speech Since Election Loss, ‘False Propaganda Has Flooded Social Media’

By Ashley Hoffman
Published on: 23:14 PST, Dec 8, 2016

In a rare public appearance since her shocking loss from Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton warned the public about the risks of fake and misleading news on social media, according to the Huffington Post. Clinton said leaders in both the public and private sector should act promptly to “protect our democracy” and “innocent lives.” The former Secretary of State relayed the message during a portrait unveiling for retiring Nevada Senator Harry Reid, at the Capitol on Thursday.

“The epidemic of fake news and false propaganda that flooded social media over the last year ? it’s now clear that so-called fake news can have real-world consequences.”

“This isn’t about politics or partisanship… Lives are at risk, lives of ordinary people just trying to go about their days to do their jobs, contribute to their communities. It’s a danger that must be addressed and addressed quickly.”

Clinton was a hot topic of alternative news websites throughout this year’s presidential campaign. A Buzzfeed analysis found that “fake election news” stories outperformed verified election news stories on Facebook. It has been reported that false stories of Clinton and her team were presented as verified news.

Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. [Image by Mark Wilson/Getty Images]

Here are Clinton’s full remarks on the fake news issue, according to the Washington Post.

“Let me just mention briefly one threat in particular that should concern all Americans, Democrats, Republicans and independents alike, especially those who serve in our Congress: the epidemic of malicious fake news and false propaganda that flooded social media over the past year. It’s now clear that so-called fake news can have real-world consequences. This isn’t about politics or partisanship. Lives are at risk, lives of ordinary people just trying to go about their days, to do their jobs, contribute to their communities.

“It’s a danger that must be addressed and addressed quickly. Bipartisan legislation is making its way through Congress to boost the government’s response to foreign propaganda, and Silicon Valley is starting to grapple with the challenge and threat of fake news. It’s imperative that leaders in both the private sector and the public sector step up to protect our democracy and innocent lives.”

Clinton brought the subject up during a tribute to Reid. Reports have surfaced that Clinton had spoken to the owners of the D.C.-based Comet Pizza ahead of the event, according to the Huffington Post.

A man from North Carolina showed up at the local pizzeria last week with an assault rifle. It’s been reported he believed false news reports about the restaurant operating a child sex ring orchestrated by Clinton. He surrendered to police when he learned the story was fake.

Clinton mentioned execs in Silicon Valley are beginning to “grapple with the challenge and threat” which has been created by fake news, according to the Huffington Post. Hillary received a standing ovation when she walked up to the lectern. Many supporters cried whens he walked out.

Hillary joked in her speech about hiding out since her presidential loss.

“This is not exactly the speech at the Capitol I hoped to be giving after the election… But after a few weeks of taking selfies in the woods, I thought it would be a good idea to come out.”

Obama Discusses “Fake News” At Press Conference After Trump’s White House Win

During a press conference, President Obama passionately spoke about fake news on the internet and cautioned against “active misinformation” which could pose a threat to democracy. Obama called on young Americans to avoid well packaged “misinformation,” according to USA Today. In Greece, Obama said the “unprecedented exchange of information” has created a “volatile politics” in Western countries, which leads people to begin to question their national identities.

U.S. President Barack Obama on October 8, 2015, in Washington, DC. [Image by Olivier Douliery/Getty Images]

An astounding majority of U.S. adults, around 62 percent, get news on social media, and 18 percent do so frequently, according to a survey by Pew Research Center. In 2012, based on a slightly different question of asking participants about “seeing” their news instead of “getting” their news, 49 percent of U.S. adults reported “seeing” their news on social media, according to the website Journalism.

“[‘Active misinformation’] packaged very well and it looks the same when you see it on a Facebook page or you turn on your television… If we are not serious about facts and what’s true and what’s not — and particularly in an age of social media where so many people are getting their information in sound bites and snippets off their phones — if we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems.”

According to Journalism, Facebook reaches 67 percent of U.S. adults. Therefore, the two-thirds of Facebook users who get news on the platform, amount to 44 percent of the general population. Alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Obama discussed discerning truth from fiction on social media.

During the hourlong press conference, Obama took several moments to make a passionate attack on false news stories disseminated on Facebook and other social media platforms. Obama called these false reports a “threat to democracy.”

“If everything seems to be the same and no distinctions are made, then we won’t know what to protect. We won’t know what to fight for. And we can lose so much of what we’ve gained in terms of the kind of democratic freedoms and market-based economies and prosperity that we’ve come to take for granted.”

According to USA Today, several major television networks have picked up on deliberately faked online stories. One notable case is as when Fox News reported that Obama had deleted messages of support for Hillary Clinton on his Twitter. Fox later apologized.

During the 2016 election campaign, fake news stories spread more quickly on social media than real news from major outlets like the New York Times and USA Today, according to an analysis conducted by Buzzfeed News.

U.S. President Barack Obama talks with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. [Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

Facebook has been subjected to much criticism for allowing fake news stories and hoaxes to spread to millions of users during a critical period in American history. Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has denied accusations that Facebook swayed the election through the circulation of fake news.

“Of all the content on Facebook, more than 99 percent of what people see is authentic. Only a very small amount is fake news and hoaxes. The hoaxes that do exist are not limited to one partisan view, or even to politics. Overall, this makes it extremely unlikely hoaxes changed the outcome of this election in one direction or the other.”

Mark Zuckerberg said he and his team had made efforts to crack down on fake Facebook news. Zuckerberg said it’s “pretty crazy” to think fake Facebook news affected the outcome of the race, according to the New York Times.

“I think the idea that fake news on Facebook, which is a very small amount of the content, influenced the election in any way — I think is a pretty crazy idea… Voters make decisions based on their lived experience.”

Scientific American agrees with Zuckerberg and suggests people are simply drawn to news that affirms their political viewpoint. Also, thanks to personal Facebook filtering tools, people are only exposed to content that reaffirms their biases.

“There’s ample evidence that people are drawn to news that affirms their political viewpoint. Facebook’s software learns from users’ past actions; it tries to guess which stories they are likely to click or share in the future. Taken to its extreme, this produces a filter bubble, in which users are exposed only to content that reaffirms their biases. The risk, then, is that filter bubbles promote misperceptions by hiding the truth.”

It may be confusing to discern what is real and what is fake with all the news going around regarding the 2016 presidential election. Headlines such as: “The Pope Endorses Donald Trump,” “The Electoral College Is Rigged,” “The Russians Hacked The Election,” and “FBI James Comey Letters” have dominated mainstream news outlets. There’s a wide array of stories to grasp the attention of viewers. An interesting headline this week was, “Facebook Fake News Writer: Donald Trump Is In The White House Because Of Me.”

The Los Angeles Times posted a list of fake news sources compiled by Melissa Zimdars, an assistant professor at Merrimack College. Ironically, the list included a bunch of right-leaning news websites. A writer for the Los Angeles Times pointed out that Zimdars’ list includes what she calls satirical attire as well as false and misleading news sources. However, the large, bold font title begins with “False, Misleading…” and ends with “news sources.” Also, paragraph six in a small print disclaimer reads, “And as a reminder, not all of the sources listed below should be considered fake.” The list has since been removed due to criticism.

Facebook, Twitter, and Google have taken the fake news controversy very seriously. These social media platforms are now looking into the issues, forming task forces, putting new policies in place, and possibly banning sites that traffic in fake news, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Obama told David Remnick, an editor for the New Yorker, that we live in a world in which having a limited capacity to disseminate opposing information can have a major impact on facts.

“…Everything is true and nothing is true… An explanation of climate change from a Nobel Prize-winning physicist looks exactly the same on your Facebook page as the denial of climate change by somebody on the Koch brothers’ payroll. And the capacity to disseminate misinformation, wild conspiracy theories, to paint the opposition in wildly negative light without any rebuttal — that has accelerated in ways that much more sharply polarize the electorate and make it very difficult to have a common conversation.”

Obama has spoken about the role technology has played in helping the populist movements in the U.K. and now Trump’s victory in the United States.

Barack Obama then said if Trump doesn’t take his new role seriously, he won’t be in power for long. These are Obama’s strongest remarks since the election.

“The extraordinary demands that are placed on the United States not just by its own people, but by people around the world — that forces you to focus… That demands seriousness… And if you’re not serious about the job, then you probably won’t be there very long.”

[Featured Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

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