Articles from February 2019

How Fake News Can Influence the Upcoming Election Cycle

How Fake News Can Influence the Upcoming Election Cycle

It’s no secret that fake news is a problem and everyone is wondering how fake news can influence the upcoming election cycle. There has been much speculation and investigations as to how much it influenced the 2016 election. People are still constantly being tricked into believing that something happened or didn’t happen, when in reality everything is vice versa. Here’s how fake news can influence the upcoming election cycle.

1. Bots and fake profiles

Bots and fake profiles operate to create traffic for certain websites, accumulate likes and comments on posts, and tweet and post about certain topics. All of this is done to bring your attention to fake news and propaganda, or promote certain ‘beliefs’ that will ultimately influence your vote. Bots and fake accounts can also initiate discussions to increase the popularity of certain topics.

2. Altered statistics

There are hundreds if not thousands of articles with statistics that aren’t real. There is no real research or the studies are biased. For example, small groups of people are being questioned about an issue, which cannot be counted as proper research; the sample size is too small. So these statistics are skewed to support one side. Always try to find a different source for the statistics the article is talking about to see if it’s real.

3. Fake news stories

This more common than most people realize. A news story is created with little or no basis in truth and then the story gets cross posted to hundreds of news sites across the web. It offers the illusion of credibility. Leading people to believe that because something is published across hundreds of sites all over the world that it must be true. Most people don’t understand the digital world or how easy it is to through up a news site that looks credible when it isn’t.  Here is a look at how this happened in 2016.

4. Rumors

Rumors are something that his not always based on facts. Something along the lines of “I heard this happened there” or “I heard he/she did that.” It’s often that they are presented as facts, but don’t give into this. Rumors, even if they are found out to be fake later, can actually damage the image of a certain politician a lot. Not only will you have a negative feeling about them, but you might also start questioning their actions and stop trusting them.

5. Biased websites

Finally, there are biased news websites. These post articles and news only about certain politicians or make certain public personas look better or worse than they actually are. It’s easy to understand if they are pro-rightist or pro-leftist or anything else by going through their newsfeed and seeing who do they usually praise, or on the contrary, disparage.

Who is the Leading Democratic Candidate to Run for President

Who is the Leading Democratic Candidate to Run for President

Next year becomes another history-making for the Americans with the 2020 Presidential race just about to kick off. Analyst suggests about 40 aspirant my run against the controversial President Donald Trump. Top-ranking Democrats have been reportedly meeting up with key donors and visit some of the considered essential states as the year progress. Even as the incumbent beats his chest saying he looks forward to meeting his opponents for the 2020 race to the White House, below is a list of Democrats Candidates who have checked in to be on the run, as we look for the top contenders.  But who is the leading democratic candidate to run for President?

Confirmed

  1. Bernie Sanders

The Independent Vermont senator was seen as the most liked among voters in the 2016 race. The polls had indicated that he was the sure bet to defeat the then Republican candidate Donald Trump. During his announcement, he promised to deliver a robust policy calling the Incumbent a liar. He conveyed this through an email to his followers.

  1. Kirsten Gillibrand

After ensuring another term in last years, mid elections the New York senator said, she would give thought to the idea of running in the next years’ general election, claiming she had seen the division in the country as she traveled around.

  1. Julian Castro

This was the former Texas mayor, and ex-secretary of Housing and Urban Development has hinted his intentions in recent interviews.

  1. Kamala Harris

The California senator is not only a renowned prosecutor but also known from the questions she asked Jeff Sessions at a Senate hearing about  2016 elections during the accounts of his links with Russia officials.

  1. John Delaney

He was the first key Democratic candidate to launch his bid; the Maryland congressman also represents the state’s sixth district.

  1. Tulsi Gabbard

Being a former army medic, the US representative from Hawaii launched her bid early on January 11th.

  1. Richard Ojeda

One of the key policy being Medicare for all the West Virginia Senator was also the first to announce their candidacy to the American people; he is also a former army member.

Potential Candidate

The list of the contenders goes all the way down with participants all eyeing for the democratic ticket. Some strong party figures like former vice president Joe Biden who many voters consider as their favorite have not yet announced their stand.

As the campaigns kick off and major political profile make up their mind as Joe Biden tables may turn, but for now we can be right to assume Bernie Sanders is the leading one.