NYT Issues Correction After Ex-Politi-Fact Writer's Article Refers to "Snake People"... We're Not Kidding
These are the people Facebook trusts?
In one of its most recent “fact-checking” articles that are really aimed at attacking President Donald Trump and his administration, The New York Times published a line of utter nonsense that needed a correction, marking a new low for the Grey Lady’s embarrassments of journalism.
And a new reason conservatives distrust the tech giants that are controlling information the information that gets to American voters.
The foul-up was originally published digitally in The Times on Tuesday, in an article attacking the accuracy of Trump’s statements on trade. (Remember what a stickler The Times was for truth from the Barack Obama White House? No one else does either.)
Written by Linda Qui, a so-called “fact-check” reporter for The Times, it included an excerpt from an article by a Times correspondent with the line:
“For instance, America’s trade deficit narrowed dramatically during the time of shedding and cold rocks, when national consumption faltered.” (emphasis added.)
Even for an attack-Trump piece in The New York Time, that’s idiotic.
A correction soon followed:
The excerpt apparently was inserted by a senior editor, who fessed up to the mistake on Twitter, blaming it on a Google Chrome extension.
I’m horrified to be the guilty editor here. But thankfully @YLindaQiu‘s excellent work stands so far above it.
Also, I have now deleted the excellent Millenial-Snake Person Chrome extension. https://t.co/rd4KH2469r pic.twitter.com/Mh057RMCp9
— Justin Bank (@bankonjustin) March 7, 2018
The Chrome extension Bank referred to “Millennials to Snake People,” which, according to MarketWatch “allows reporters and marketers to get to the heart of what they really mean when they write the word millennial.”
It automatically changes the word “millennials” to “snake people” – because guys like Times senior editors apparently think that’s hilarious. It also alters other phrases associated with the woes of millennials, like turning the “Great Recession” into “time of shedding and cold rocks.”
(Again, totally hilarious. Wouldn’t you love to have a drink with these people?)
But aside from editorial carelessness, and the unmistakable evidence of a tone-deaf, adolescent sense of “humor,” there’s a bigger issue here.
There’s a reason The Times stock took off, as Fortune reported, back in January when Facebook announced a policy decision that was giving priority to the “most trusted” sources as rated by select readers. (The Facebook announcement is here.)
But it’s a rum game Facebook is running. The Facebook “trusted” survey is just another way of reiterating how pervasive the overwhelmingly liberal mainstream media is. So, of course The New York Times is going to fare well. It’s dominant with Facebook readers because its dominant in the mainstream world.
The Facebook policy is penalizing news sites – like Conservative Tribune – for presenting news differently from how The Times, CNN and the liberal like present it. But that’s penalizing conservative sites for the very reason they exist, and penalizing their readers in the process.
The Times itself acknowledged what was going on in an article this week about Facebook’s new policy:
“The Facebook adjustment has affected virtually every media organization that is partly dependent on the platform for audiences, but it appears to have hit some harder than others. They include right-wing sites like Gateway Pundit and the millennial-focused Independent Journal Review, which was forced to lay off staff members last month. “
Note that weaselly “appears to have hit some harder than others” equivocation.
The Facebook policy undoubtedly favors “trusted” sources like The New York Times, when their content is blatantly biased against the Trump administration and conservative voices in general.
The policy has slammed conservative sites — including Conservative Tribune — while The New York Times benefits from rising stock prices.
And none of this is an accident. When Donald Trump drew roars from supporters on the campaign trail for attacking a “rigged” system, this is the kind of thing he was talking about.
Coincidentally — or ironically — that article appeared on Tuesday, the same day as the article with the now notorious “Snake People” foul-up was published.
But these are the people Facebooks trusts?
Makes you wonder who the real snake people are here.
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