Nominees Announced for Second Annual Fakies - Fake News Awards

by Jack O'Lanterni, President of Fake News International

The Fakies - Fake News Awards

2017 was another tremendous year for fake news. Never before has so much fake news affected so many people in so many ways with such great consequences. Fake News International is pleased to announce the preliminary list of nominees for the Second Annual Fakies Awards.

The Fakies Awards are presented annually on April 1^st in Macedonia to honor the best of fake news throughout the previous year. This year’s extravaganza will be held at the fabulous Taj Majal Resort in the heart of Macedonia City. P.T. Barnum, III, will be the Master of Ceremonies.

Letter to Florida Times-Union Editor about Fake News: Slow down and smell the satire.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Note: This is a letter to the editor of the Florida Times-Union which was published on November 30, 2017.

The recent tips offered by Times-Union Editorial Page Editor Mike Clark on how to spot fake news were helpful.

However, Clark neglected to address one very serious problem: The inability of Americans to comprehend satire, which is the most prevalent form of fake news.

How can you tell if a website is fake news?

Although many people continue to take the fake news bait, determining whether a website is fake or not is frequently as easy as looking at the about page. This is especially true for websites that deal in satire. Here are several examples.

The Onion

“The Onion is the world’s leading news publication, offering highly acclaimed, universally revered coverage of breaking national, international, and local news events. Rising from its humble beginnings as a print newspaper in 1765, The Onion now enjoys a daily readership of 4.3 trillion and has grown into the single most powerful and influential organization in human history...

Fake News International announces nominees for The Fakies/Fake News Awards.

by Jack O'Lanterni, President
Fake News International

Fake News International has announced the nominees for the 2017 Fakies. 2016 was undoubtedly one of the greatest years in the history of Fake News. Never before has so much fake news affected so many people in so many ways.

From predictions about the election in the United States to a disheartening story about Santa, there’ve been lots of great accomplishments in the world of fake news. Many will be recognized on April 1st in Macedonia when Fake News International presents the Fakies for 2016.

Fake News is here to stay! Read all about it!

Florida Times-Union building
Wikimedia Commons

This is the unedited version of a letter to the editor that appeared in the Florida Times-Union on January 1, 2017. I have to admit, I still get a little bang out of picking up the newspaper at the end of my driveway and seeing something I wrote in there. 

Fake news isn’t going away. The folks who consume it just love the stuff! More importantly, producers of fake news and advertisers alike are making money from it.

How to spot fake news.

"There's a sucker born every minute." Most frequently attributed to P.T. Barnum.

“We won’t get fooled again.” Pete Townsend

Most people have been suckers at least once or twice in their lives. For example, before writing this article, I always thought that P.T. Barnum was the originator of the oft-quoted line about suckers.  Alas, it appears that I took too much for granted.