Just as soon as someone can figure out which news is in fact fake
Following on the heels of perfectly functioning democracies like Malaysia, the Canadian government has passed legislation to ban fake news. The only problem is: What exactly is fake news? Who decides the difference between negligence in journalistic duty and deliberate misinformation campaigns? In order to learn more, I did some investigating among average Canadians. My libertarian coworker, Gary Nolan, thinks that it should be the CBC. Nolan is tired of having his hard-earned tax dollars go to a media conglomerate that promotes Canadian identity and a left-leaning narrative, as opposed to the wonderful efficiency of the marketplace of ideas. Nolan believes that if everyone worked as hard as he did, whether it be in the service industry or by sussing out the world’s issues, then fake news would not be able to affect our society.Incidentally, he also asked me to cover his shift this weekend so he can continue to work on his philosophical treatise about the marketplace of ideas. The answer is no, Nolan, I’ve already got plans to write a left-leaning narrative about Canadian identity.
In order to get a rural perspective, I returned to my hometown of Aylmer, Ont. to visit my cousin. He explained to me that CTV’s allegations against former conservative leader, Patrick Brown, are clear evidence of collusion with (what alt-righters pejoratively refer to as) “elite cuckservatives” and, that as such, CTV was a fake news arm of the deep state. His thoughts on CNN could not be cleaned up enough to be published, but he pointed me to a series of message boards where I can learn more. I am unable to share them in this article because they violate The Contrarion’s policies against discrimination and basic idiocy. My first roommate in college was a communications major, so I believed that they would have particular insight into the scourge that is fake news. After tracking them down at a local cafe, I learned that they have gone off the grid when it comes to mainstream news and mostly read Tumblr and Twitter personalities with fewer than 100 followers. When asked for an interview, they called The Contrarion an “imperialist rag for bougie asshats” and refused to say any more on the subject. This despite the fact that I had politely not brought up the $40 that they still owe me. Opinions about what constitutes reliable news sources appear to vary. Perhaps that is why we have struggled with fake news and propaganda for more than a century. What I have learned is that although Canadians are cognizant of fake news, they could be more discerning. Just ask Ezra Levant.
Patrick Gilmore, reporting from a nondescript building in Chelyabinsk.
Photo by Alora Griffiths/The Ontarion