PeterS

With the plethora of fake news stories that popped up during this election cycle one has to ask if the influence of fake news hurts our democracy? Now generally fake news says something that we would agree with anyway--like 'If I ran for president it would be as a republican because the are the dumbest group of voters out there' attributed falsely to Donald Trump or ‘I Was Paid $3,500 To Protest Trump’s Rally.' falsely attributed to a Trump supporter and repeated by Trumps son Eric.

The list goes on and on but it seems to me that false news feeds into our gullibility and goes to enormous lengths to destroy our trust in our news sources and even our trust in each other. Talk about divisiveness in our country nothing contribute more to it then the creation, distribution, and ultimately the belief in fake news. Just today Trump was running on about the fake news story of 3 million illegals voting where there is zero evidence of illegal votes nor, if they did happen, who they were cast for. If we can't trust our election system how can we trust that it produced a true and accurate result? Should we nationalize our election process and have it regulated and standardized by the federal government and redo it?

Do you see the problem with and danger when we start repeating fake news stories. Donald Trump seems to be saying we can't trust the outcome of the election so if we can't trust it should we create as system that we can trust and repeat the election?

JW

It is if it is being reported that we live in a democracy. The Founders detested the idea of a democracy and created a constitution designed to prevent a democracy from ever being established here. A democracy is strictly majority rule with no concern for any minority.

out of the woods Loc: to hell and gone New York State

It explains Hillarys devastation , when despite having the media in her pocket, despite all the oganized fraud, she lost.
of coarse there was illegal voting and on a scale large enough for her to schedule fireworks. Trump won by a landslide
and democrats are now trying to undermine his legitimacy. Open your eyes, turn off your tv, the alt right is the only
place you can find any truth. If major networks are attacking it, it is probably true. You cannot possibly believe that
any good Americans could look at Clinton and her crimes and decided that would be good for the nation. Or could you
really believe all the crap they laid on Trump? He poses a threat to their control of the story. Boycott all mainstream news!

Larry the Legend Loc: Not hiding in Milton

Constitutional Republic. We live in a Constitutional Republic. Nowhere in the constitution of either the federal union or of the individual states is there any mention of a democracy. And rightly so. No-one with any vestige of sanity would want to live in a society governed by democracy.

On the question of fake news; I doubt that anyone with even average intelligence would be taken in by those obviously overblown stories. No doubt there were those who pointed to these stories and tried to use them as leverage to sway votes. How successful that was I have no way of gauging. Politics is a dirty business. Lies will be told. Some may even be believed.

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

I agree.

All those who still have their feet on the ground, and do not hitch rides on unicorns have long recognized they cannot believe anything the MSM (Main Street Media) prints, reports, broadcasts or has online... because they lie.

BearK Loc: TN

"The Ballad of East and West" is a poem by Rudyard Kipling. It was first published in 1889, and has been much collected and anthologised since. Its first line is often quoted, sometimes to ascribe racism to Kipling, particularly in regard to the Empire.[1] Those who quote it thus often completely miss the third and fourth lines. The full refrain, with which the poem opens and closes, includes a contradiction of the opening line:

Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!
This may be read as saying that 'it is indisputable that geographic points of the compass will never meet in this life, but that when two strong men [or equals] meet, the accidents of birth, whether of nationality, race, or family, do not matter at all—the mutual respect such individuals have, each for the character, prowess, and integrity of the other, are their only criteria for judging and accepting one another. Any differences in ethnicity between such individuals are never even considered.

When two sane, educated people can agree they are entitled to their differences, then maybe losers can accept the choice of the people. I accepted Obama, though I did not vote for him, nor did I like his policies, now you cannot accept my choice, while useful idiots riot, damage other people's property, and disrupt commerce. That's education!!!!

Tasine Loc: Southwest US

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Absolutely true, no matter that so many do not know that and who wish it were true. No democrat should wish it so, though it is they who spout it all the time. Were it true, it would be pointless to even mention the democrat party as it woudn't exist.

Super Dave Loc: Realville, USA

Character matters.. So of course fake news hurts America. (BTW, there is 'democracy' within our 'Republic'.)

Every time a politician asshole lies it hurts us. Every time a media asshole lies it hurts us.

America was hurt when Obama made false promises about Obamacare, Iran deal, etc... America was hurt when the MSM parroted his lies in their fake news.

PeterS

You are debating rhetoric instead of answering the question. If you honestly don't think we live in a democracy then don't vote. It's as simple as that...

PeterS

Fine, is fake news hurting our constitutional republic?

Super Dave Loc: Realville, USA

Apparently nobody told you that people vote in our form of a Republic.

Tasine Loc: Southwest US

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I don't know to whom you are asking this question. Conservatives have been complaining about the fake news for decades and the left has been denying it. Suddenly you see the fake news in major newspapers and tv? CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, NYT, WaPo, etc........ALL PROVIDE fake news, and they do it for a specific purpose: to brainwash people like yourself who doesn't know the difference between deliberately lying and making a mistake, who cannot IMAGINE one of the media deliberately LYING for a political purpose, even when PROOF is presented. The MSM does occasionally report true news, but even when it does, I have trouble believing it because it deals in political LIES too often. I'll trust citizens fighting back with the pen FAR MORE THAN I will ever again trust the MSM.

Does the MSM hurt our nation? You're darned tootin' it does.......your question and our answers PROVE THAT. I have NEVER IN MY 78 YEARS TRUSTED AN ELECTION BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN HEARING ABOUT CEMETERIES VOTING SINCE I WAS A SMALL CHILD, and I think people who have ever trusted an election, meaning NO CHEATING (often by the loser), are too naive to vote. Trump did no cheating. In all likelihood the Democrats did because it is what cheaters do.

PeterS

Why are you guys so afraid of answering the question. The media is strewn with false stories, many repeated by Trump and others, and you believe them. Do you think it matters to our republic whether we vote for lies or if we vote for the truth!

Tasine Loc: Southwest US

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Totally agree!!!!!!!

Tasine Loc: Southwest US

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Don't pretend to be the idiot your question makes you sound. You're a big boy, and you KNOW that fake news is lies, and EVERYONE CAN DO IT, however, the MSM is supposed to be the watchdog of government, whereas it has become the handmaiden of the government, opposite of its real purpose.

Individuals writing papers, articles are NOT labeled "watchdogs".....we are the people trying to save our country, not destroy it as the MSM gives every indication of doing.......or maybe not.....maybe they are as stupid as they believe us to be.