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120

Misinformation: Baseless claim about U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris crash spread by mysterious website (www.bbc.com)

submitted 2 months ago by tardigrada@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org

40 comments fedilink hide all child comments

A story posted on a mysterious website has been widely circulated on social media after it made a baseless claim that Kamala Harris - the Democratic presidential nominee - was involved in an alleged hit-and-run incident.

It claims, without providing evidence, that a 13-year-old girl was left paralysed by the crash, which it says took place in San Francisco in 2011.

The story, which was published on 2 September by a website purporting to be a media organisation called KBSF-San Francisco News, has been widely shared online. Some online posts by right-leaning users citing the story have been viewed millions of times.

BBC Verify has found numerous false details indicating it is fake and the website has now been taken down.

[...]

Fake news stories targeting the US

The story and the website it originally appeared on share striking similarities with a network of fake news websites that masquerade as US local news outlets, which BBC Verify has previously extensively reported on.

John Mark Dougan, a former Florida police officer who relocated to Moscow is one of the key figures behind the network.

Approached by BBC Verify to comment on the hit-and-run story, Mr Dougan denied any involvement, saying: “Do I ever admit to anything? Of course it’s not one of mine.”

The websites mix dozens of genuine news stories taken from real news outlets with what is essentially the real meat of the operation - totally fabricated stories that often include misinformation about Ukraine or target US audiences.

The websites are often set up shortly before the fake stories appear on them, and then go offline after they serve their purpose.

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[–] psvrh@lemmy.ca 22 points 2 months ago (7 children)

“Liberal” doesn’t mean what many people think it means.

It doesn’t mean “leftist” or “progressive” or “humane”. There might be some overlap, but these are not the same things, despite conservatives trying to define them as such.

[–] WHARRGARBL@beehaw.org 1 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Curious comment, so I looked at Wikipedia’s Liberalism in the United States. Still not sure what you’re suggesting.

Could you elaborate?

[–] anlumo@feddit.org 21 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Liberals are pro free market and capitalism. Leftists are pro social programs and taxing the rich.

[–] WHARRGARBL@beehaw.org 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Thanks! It sounds like “liberal” in this thread is what I’ve always called neoliberal, and “leftist” is what’s known as democratic socialism?

[–] anlumo@feddit.org 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Depends on how far you want to go left. On the more extreme side, these people want to abolish capitalism entirely and replace it with a communal system (workers owning the means of production). Democratic socialism is a very moderate form where capitalism is kept, but people get a fair chance of living in the system (usually through monetary assistance), no matter what family they come from and what their abilities are.

[–] FunderPants@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I think you're confusing social democracy with democratic socialism. The first is as you say, and has huge overlap with liberalism, left liberalism, and progressive liberalism.

The second is achieving socialism through democratic means, without the need to overthrow government as once was believed to be entirely nessecary.

But then again, terms do change context over time, and by place. So maybe I'm the one who is wrong.

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