Thread: a word on fake news. Yes we know it's everywhere. I personally got wrapped up in a fiasco recently. I need everyone reading this to understand how pervasive it is. I actually have several accounts blocked that only spread local fake news. Just sheer fabrications.

Most of the examples I see are so egregiously silly it's hard to believe anyone buys it. But rest assured, virtually all fake news is promoting a message, and if someone already believes that message or the narrative, they will often embrace it.

In the past I've tried to explain what fake news looks like and its signatures. But now I'd like to give you the signature of whether fake news is effective. It's the answer to one question: does it exist?

That might seem simplistic, but no matter how outlandish the claim is, the sheer virtue of its creation means there is someone out there consuming it. No one creates the supply for something that has no demand.

Often, there is no limit to how far someone will suspend their disbelief to protect their personal beliefs, and on places like Twitter, it's extremely easy to quarantine yourself in a bubble of your preferred reality. It's a bug in human nature that is enabled by social media

While you can personally hold yourself accountable to seek out honest news, you really can't do anything to stop other people. It's infuriating in my profession, and is a person who tries to have a shred of optimism in his fellow man, it's terrifying.

All that being said, if you care about honesty and truth, I'm not just going to feed you some platitude about local Journalism. We do our best, but I implore you to hold my feet directly under the fire too. Be critical of everything, and never underestimate the power of lies.