Fake News Challenge: 25 Questions To Test Your Skills At Spotting Fake News
- by Willy Vision
- – on
- in Lifestyle
Fake news is all over the news. Fakers and liars are making the news. Liars and fakers are claiming the real news that they make, is fake. There may be a witch hunt going on; however, the question is, which witch is being hunted?
Do you think you can tell fake news from real news? For those that consider themselves expert “newsies,” a recent study by Ipsos found that about 90% of the people surveyed claimed they could tell fake news from real news. However, it turns out that over 75% of those who said they could tell fake news from real news were not able to do so.
Are you one of those people who gets shocking emails or Tweets, who immediately pass them on to others, without fact-checking anything? Congratulations! You are in the majority of people who do this. The trouble is, even if you bother to check the information by searching on the Internet, you may find fake news websites that appear to be the real thing and that corroborate the fake story pretending it is true. For example, so many celebrity deaths have been reported as hoaxes that when a celebrity really does die, they are lucky if anyone shows up at their funeral.
There is as much disinformation out there in the world “wild” web as there is factual information. In many cases, there is quite a bit of political agenda behind these "psyops" propaganda campaigns. If it is possible to control the minds; it is easier to control the people. Other news that is from an “alternative” viewpoint, but is not “alternate facts” (a euphemism for lying) is subject to the receiving false claims of being wrong.
Test your ability to spot fake news. Here are 25 questions where only one of the headlines for each question is a factual story and the rest are fake news. See how well you can do in spotting the real news from the fake news.
Out Trump Trump With The Fake News Card
President Trump has many Americans focused on the fake news because he makes so much of it. In the past, Trump claimed President Obama was not born in Hawaii. Trump said that the current crime rate in New York City is higher than ever before, which was completely refuted by the New York City Police Chief and the New York Mayor. Trump said he had the largest turnout ever recorded at his inauguration. Trump said President Obama bugged the Trump Tower office building during the 2016 presidential election. All of these things Trump said made news; however, none of them are true. Which one of these headlines about Trump is the real news?
It Was Not Me, It Was My Evil Twin
When someone gets arrested, even though the law says “innocent until proven guilty,” in the court of public opinion being accused of a heinous crime is the very close to the equivalent of being guilty of it. People have a fascination with seeing otherwise outstanding citizens accused of being criminals. It is all the better if they are famous people or politicians that had successful career prior to their arrest. The adoring public loves to help build them up on their rise to fame, only to tear them down the minute they are accused of a crime. Which one of these headlines about an arrest is the real news?
A Fishy Tale or a Crock of Sh*t?
Those who used to be identified as fishermen, now correctly called fisherpersons, fishing persons, or fishy persons, are known for telling tall tales about the “one that got away.” Without capturing the “fish” and bringing the trophy home to prove it, there is no real evidence that any of these fish stories are true. Even a photograph is highly suspect because with the current state-of-the-art for digital image manipulation it is easy to turn the photo of a fish that is the size of a minnow into something that looks like the size of a whale. Which one of these headlines about a fishy story is the real news?
Talk to Me Baby
Technology is always advancing without much in the way to stop it. Sometimes technology is very helpful. Other times it creates a surprising risk. Mobile phones are everywhere. Their use is ubiquitous. Big companies are constantly trying to get a competitive advantage by stealing technology or illegally copying it. Making a “hookup” for sex using the Internet is as easy as ordering a pizza. There is a real fear that genetically modified foods will create unknown environmental disasters in the future. Which one of these headlines about technology is the real news?
No Way Jose
The musical band, Cypress Hill from the San Francisco Bay Area sings a song with the lyrics that say, “I wanna get high, so high.” This all started in America during the 1960’s with the band called the Fifth Dimension who sang the song entitled, “Would you like to fly in my beautiful balloon?” Everyone wants to get high and to fly. Sometimes getting high gets out of control and people do terrible things; however, for the most part, taking a puff like Simon and Garfunkel sang about in the song “Puff the Magic Dragon,” is somewhat harmless, unless your neighbors are zombies. Which one of these headlines about alcohol or drugs is the real news?
I Want Your Sex
Stories abut sex are always titillating if you can keep abreast of the situation. Teenage boys are fond of abusing public paging systems like those found in some airports and calling the operator to request that “Jack Meoff” come to the nearest white courtesy telephone, please. Some think that “incest is best.” Others find the best in bestiality. Nobody knows for sure what goes on behind closed green doors, except the participants, who might have a used turkey baster in the past for artificial insemination and perhaps now use the assistance of doctors with a test tube. Which one of these headlines about sex is the real news?
Crime And Punishment
There are crimes and then there are stupid crimes. For the world to know about your stupid crimes, they have to be idiotic and you have to get caught, which is usually a given if you are doing a stupid crime. Each year there is even an award for the top ten most stupid crimes, called the “Darwin Award.” These criminals are some of the human species that has not yet evolved. Some criminals never committed any crimes, just got others to do the dirty work for them. Which one of these headlines about crimes and criminals is the real news?
Pump And Dump
This is not a trumped up quiz; however, Trump appears more than once because he trumps all others when it comes to fake news. He accuses everybody else of making fake news and yet he is so good at making it himself as well. Some psychologists think that Trump is living in his own version of reality. Trump’s reality is like a “reality” television program that, in truth, is scripted, edited, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the “real” reality. Which one of these headlines about Trump is the real news?
Just Say No To The War On Drugs
There are three ways to make billions. Become a drug dealer, create an international corporation that sells drugs, and go into politics as a cover for selling drugs. Some of the products may be legal. Some of the products may be illegal. There is more profit in the drugs that are legal than those that are illegal; however, you have to have billions to start with to play the game of the major international pharmaceutical companies. The most effective way to make money is to play both sides of the legal/illegal game against one another. Support the “War on Drugs” and “Just Say No,” especially about anyone else entering the drug business, while at the same time running drug smuggling operation under the guise of CIA activities. Tobacco companies now want to make marijuana cigarettes and the anti-drug lobby says that there are problems with that activity. Which one of these headlines about drugs is the real news?
What A Bloody Mess
Blood is the life force and it can be a deadly force as well. So many transmittable diseases are passed from one person to another through the blood. The lowly mosquito bites a person who is infected with malaria and then the next person she bites contracts the disease as well. Yes, only female mosquitoes gather blood to feed to their babies. This means when a mosquito bites you, it is sucking your blood to take back to feed its babies that make more mosquitoes to bite you. Do us all a favor and kill every single one of them as possible. Mosquitoes are the greatest threat to humanity and kill millions of people each year. Which one of these headlines about blood-sucking, dead bodies, and flesh-eating is the real news?
What Do You Believe?
Stupidity rises like a tide that floats all boats. Just because you are a famous politician or a singer does not mean you possess intellectual prowess. Smart academics might not actually listen to what you have to say. However, some of the universities that millennials are applying for are taking the extra step to go on social media to see what the applicants really think. Is this an invasion of privacy? It might be, except the idiotic postings are public. Duh! If this it is really happening, I need to take a break for a “hands” Solo to celebrate as a “Belieber” the elevation of “Justinites” to Star Wars territory. Which one of these headlines about crazy famous people and institutions is the real news?
Super Size Me
You are what you eat (or drink!). If you have a sudden attack of diarrhea, don’t blame it on the restaurant. Blame it on your mother. Blame it on society’s rejection of your body piercings in places that everyone can see and in other places that no one should see. If you just ate fast food that was not good for you and you suddenly vomited it up in the restaurant, maybe all the rest of the patrons might get a clue. Unfortunately, this self-protective mechanism does not work when the soda has a color that is radioactive green-yellow, which does not exist in any mountains and it not found in any morning dew. We love Yellow Dye #5 as much as anyone else; however, we know this is not a natural color. What the hell is a frappuccino? This sounds like a heavy mix of Italian fashion with East LA “cholo” sensibilities. So, which one of these headlines about crazy foods and drinks do you think is the real news?
Womyn
Women have been in the news a lot lately due to all the sexual harassment claims. Some of the news about women and young girls is shocking about what they are doing as well. The fashion trends are outrageous as younger girls are starting to want more adult body images as their choice. When just out of diapers, toddler girls start wearing makeup that is put on by their moms. A counter reaction to this trend is the movement towards using “full” size women as fashion models including in the annual Swimsuit Edition of Sports Illustrated. Which one of these headlines about fashion, women, and girls do you think is the real news?
They Kill, Rape, And Swear - Then They Say A Prayer
In America, there is supposed to be a separation of church and state; however, religion has invaded politics on all levels. Preachers are using pulpits to advance a political message. Catholicism is undergoing a modernization movement with the guidance of a new Pope. Religious sites are now targets for terrorist attacks. This religious fervor is reaching a fever pitch. A “holy” war may lead to WW III. All of this is going on while most still believe in some form of religion. Which one of these headlines relating to religion is the real news?
Don't Fence Me In
In the overwhelming world of 24/7 saturation of sensational news, real news needs to be sensational to get attention. Even though there is a movement for building walls to keep people separated, due to the free flow of international communication found on the Internet there is very little that can be practically done to keep the ideas from all over the world separated. Some people want to get rid of the influence of technology and to go back to simpler times to live in a more rustic way. Others just want to get wild. Which one of these crazy headlines is the real news?
You Only Live Twice
Sexual topics are always great fodder for news stories. People do crazy things when sex is involved. President Bill Clinton got into trouble for lying that he “did not have sexual relations with that woman,” about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. When Hillary continued to stand by him throughout the impeachment proceedings, this was surprising to most people. Now that Hillary Clinton lost her bid for the presidency perhaps the power couple’s relationship is broken once and for all. Which one of these headlines about sexual things is the real news?
Oh My God!
There is some freaky stuff in the news. Airline staff went out of control, dragging a passenger off the plane when he refused to give up his paid-for seat. A multi-million dollar settlement happened because of this and perhaps the airlines are now going to be subjected to new legislation. Mistakes are made. Some can be deadly. Murderers may try at the last moment to redeem themselves; however, who knows if that would be effective. They still might burn in hell when they meet whatever form of God(s) that they believe in. Which one of these freaky headlines is the real news?
Call Me JJ or RJ, But Don't Call Me Johnson
President Trump has issued more executive orders than almost any president in the history of America. He believes with a stroke of a pen that he can change laws at his whim. Meanwhile, there has been an innuendo about his personal endowment, which could be refuted by a photograph of his private parts. Maybe he has a problem with his prostate, which is a common occurrence for a man of his age. This would be less surprising than finding some mythological creature. Of these eye-popping headlines, which is the real news story?
Fly Me To The Moon
Airlines have been in the news quite a bit lately. It is surprising what can happen on a flight. Terrorists are always testing the limits of how to get a bomb on a plane by putting the bombs in their shoes or in their underwear. Satellite images taken by Google are being searched by people worldwide and amazing discoveries are being made. Things can remain hidden for years that are such a surprise when they are revealed. Which one of these surprising things is the real headline?
We Are Not In Kansas Anymore
Natural disasters are increasing, while the globalists are trying to create a new world order by using their considerable wealth, power, and influence, even in the face of the setback to the European Union caused by the Brexit referendum. Police are under the gun, for using their weapons to kill unarmed people in indiscriminate ways. Law enforcement would do better to protect and serve rather than to attack the unarmed with deadly force. Which one of these headlines is the actual news story?
Birds Of A Feather Flock Together
There are many bird brain ideas about the president and ex-presidents that may or may not be true. Rumors about the health of ex-president Clinton have been swarming around for quite a while. Trump's support of the military includes his proposal to have a massive increase in the national budget for military spending. Many of those disappointed in Trump’s attacks on the Obama legacy want to do something to show their continued appreciation of Obama. All of the fighting is like a bad game of angry birds. Which one of these headlines is the one that appeared in the news as a real story?
Shoo Fly Shoo!
Some people get famous for some really strange things. Facebook was a revolution that was unexpected, especially since MySpace was already the dominant social media before Facebook existed. Imelda Marcos got famous for her massive collection of shoes, as the wife of the Filipino dictator General Marcos. When they escaped the Philippine revolution that ousted them from power, she got away with all of those shoes. Some Christian fundamentalists, like crazy Pat Robertson, blame all the world’s problems on gay people. It might be better to replace them with a kinder, gentler, robot preacher. Which one of these headlines is the one that is actually true?
Peek a Boo
In the modern age it is unlikely that people can be hiding and living in strange places, yet it is still possible. Trump is mad at the popular comedy show Saturday Night Live for making fun of him telling so many lies, yet Trump continues to tell so many lies that it is hard to even count them anymore. It is getting more difficult to be able to figure out the truth. Three of these headlines are not true, so can you tell which one of these headlines is the true one?
You Light Up My Life
Sometimes the real stories are just so unbelievable that they cannot be true, but they are true. Other things are so believable that they must be true; however, it turns out that they are not true. The fake news that gets the most traction is the latter kind. The story just seems like it could be true so why not pass the sensational news on to others? Don’t you worry what is in the meat used for fast food restaurants? Is Matthew McConaughey’s “magic” Mike actually his boyfriend? Loving tacos is acceptable, so why not loving other inanimate things like a train station? Which one of these headlines is the real story?
A Package That Delivers
There are some weird things that are true, which include that little people like sex just as much a bigger people do. Some of the smallest males have a reputation of being notorious womanizers. If a burglar breaks into the house of a depraved sexual predator what would happen in such a case? It is true that some Chinese people eat dog meat? There is even an annual festival to celebrate this disgusting practice. Many strange news stories are reported on CNN. Now that you are completely confused, which one of these headlines is the one that is a real one?