Category Archives: Fake News

After getting caught for peddling fake news about paddy procurement by the government, controversial NDTV news anchor Ravish Kumar has now apologized for spreading fake news. The controversial NDTV news anchor Ravish Kumar took to Facebook to post an apology after he admitted to making a mistake of putting false information without verifying facts.

In his Facebook post, Ravish Kumar said that he had made a mistake in the last episode of his prime time show where he was highlighting the distortion of data by the government, however, the information that was put out was not complete.

The information is incomplete and therefore it is not correct. In this event, a mistake was also committed by me in the episode of 14 January. The analysis of a tweet put out by the Railway Minister turned out to be a mistake, said Ravish Kumar in his Facebook post.

Hilariously, while apologising for spreading fake news, Ravish Kumar says that Godi Media, which is essentially media that does not follow his editorial line of spreading misinformation and propaganda, should not excited by such a mistake. Further, he tells other journalists to challenge him on his facts. It is worthy to point out that the entire post is actually about him apologising for spreading fake news.

In his Facebook post, he further asks Godi Media to Think about the kind of misunderstanding being spread. Further he says, Notice has been issued on this. Id reply but the surprising thing is I catches many mistakes and lies in my program is no answer.

While apologising, Ravish Kumar continued to blame the government and also, claiming that he catches many such lies in his program and the government has never answered for those, and hence, he is the bigger person for responding to the notice sent to him.

It is pertinent to point out here that Ravish Kumar has a history of spreading misinformation and fake news and has in no way caught many lies. Of the many examples, just one would be sufficient to provide a window into his journalism. During the Delhi anti-Hindu riots, Ravish Kumar had conveniently changed the identity of Mohammad Shahrukh, who was seen threatening cops with a gun pointed towards their head, to Anurag Mishra simple to peddle his own agenda and shield the perpetrators. That does not really seem like someone who catches so many mistakes with others.

On January 14, NDTV India anchor Ravish Kumar had claimed that the Modi government had given false data regarding the farm product procurement. In his show Prime Time With Ravish Kumar, the controversial Congress-era journalist had referred to an infographic posted by minister Piyush Goyal to deliberately mislead the public by saying that the data given by the government in the graphic is wrong.

Earlier, Food and Public Distribution minister Piyush Goyal had informed that till January 10, the centre had procured 534 Lakh Metric Tonnes of paddy, compared to 423 LMT in the same period last year. Therefore, the paddy procurement has gone up by 26% till now this year.

However, Ravish Kumar, as usual resorting to his false propaganda, had alleged that as per data available on the website of Food and Public Distribution ministry, the total paddy procurement in 2019-20 was 519 LMT, not 423 LMT, therefore the increase in the procurement is not 26% as claimed by the government. He said that either someone has made a mistake in the govt of India, or wrong numbers are being used to spread falsehood.

In fact, it was Ravish Kumar had deliberately lied to the public by cropping the image of the tweet of Piyush Goyal to put out misleading claims. The minister had clearly said that the data is for procurement up to 10 January. However, in an attempt to blame the government, Ravish Kumar used the incomplete procurement data of the income from 2019-20 to put out misinformation about public procurement.

After Ravish Kumar tried to mislead the public by putting out false data, the union government had taken a strong objection and had categorically stated that the procurement has gone up by 26% in the said period.

The ministry termed the program a shocking display of poor journalism and sheer disregard of actual facts and had issued notice to NDTV on the 15th of January 2021, as reported exclusively by OpIndia yesterday.

The union government has taken a strong objection to the fake news peddled by Ravish Kumar, and has confirmed that the paddy procurement upto 10 January 2020 was 423 LMT. And therefore, it is correct that the procurement has gone up by 26% in the said period. The ministry termed the program a shocking display of poor journalism and sheer disregard of actual facts.

The letter sent to the NDTV Ethics committee by the Press Information Bureaus Additional Director General has said that Ravish Kumar has done an unfair comparison of full year procurement of 2019-20 with ongoing procurement for 2020-21. It also states that Piyush Goyals tweet was cropped in the TV program, giving the impression that it was a malafide act.

The letter notes that at a sensitive time when farmers are protesting near Delhi, Ravish Kumar has misrepresented important facts, which misleads the farmers and incites negative sentiments in the society. The letter also said that Ravish Kumar has done an unfair comparison of full-year procurement of 2019-20 with ongoing procurement for 2020-21. It is this letter that Ravish Kumar is saying that he will respond to in the due course of time.

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Ravish Kumar apologises for spreading fake news about paddy procurement by govt after letter to NDTV by PIB: Here is what he said - OpIndia

The suggestion street races will not take place are completely wrong- F1 remarks Monaco GP cancellation reports fake, denying any further changes.

The Dutch magazine Formule 1s website on Saturday claimed that Monaco Grand Prix and Azerbaijan and Canada would be scrapped for the second consecutive year, with the confirmation due to happen next month.

The rationale proposed in the report explains that the ongoing pandemic continues to cause uncertainty towards street races planning, considering the work required to put in the infrastructure to make it viable.

However, a report by PlanetF1.com claims to debunk this story, as they declare to have been in a conversation with an F1 spokesperson who has insisted that Formula 1 is not planning to make any further alterations in the calendar.

We have set out the details of the revised 2021 calendar, and there are no other changes. The suggestion street races will not take place are completely wrong. said the F1 spokesperson.

Last year, five new venues came in to rescue the ravaged 2020 F1 calendar, and Imola was among them, which has now been granted a slot in 2021.

Meanwhile, F1 has to look after for the vacant Vietnam Grand Prix slot, as the Asian hosts decided to quit from the team of organizers because of COVID-19 widespread.

Portuguese Grand Prix expected to be inked in for May 2 to simplify logistics ahead of the visit to Barcelonas Circuit de Catalunya a week later.

On the other hand, Formule1s news also claimed that three venues had already been earmarked to fill in for the races said to have been in jeopardy Istanbul, Mugello and Nurburgring in chronological order.

So it remains to be seen what updates F1 will be forced to make in coming days, with the world still combating the deadly virus.

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"The suggestion street races will not take place are completely wrong"- F1 calls Monaco GP cancellation... - The Sportsrush

By Marvin Charles Jan 11, 2021

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Cape Town - Just hours before President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation after rumours of a hard lockdown, fake news has been circulating over WhatsApp over looming level 4 restrictions.

The message states: We just had confirmation from National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) that employers/businesses must prepare for level 4 provincial lockdown for 30 days from January 16 to February 15 and only 10% workforce capacity.

All international travel and borders will shut down date to be confirmed as all travellers will be given time to leave or travel back to their home province. Alcohol and tobacco sales will be impacted; with more strict curfew hours.

Under level 4 restrictions that were in place in May, travel between provinces was banned, with the exception of transporting goods, and borders remained closed to international travel, except for the repatriation of South African nationals and foreign citizens.

Director of the Government Communication and Information System Phumla Williams confirmed that the WhatsApp message doing the rounds was untrue: The information being peddled purportedly from Nedlac on planned level 4 lockdown announcement is not true. It is fake news.

It's not the first time unconfirmed messages regarding Ramaphosa implementing lockdown restrictions surfaced, particularly around the tobacco ban.

Sources have, however, confirmed to the Cape Argus that a recommendation was made to the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) to move the country to level 4 of the lockdown for 30 days, but no decision had been taken.

Reports have indicated that Ramaphosa will be leaving South Africa on level 3 of the nationwide lockdown and continue the ban on the sale of alcohol.

Ramaphosas spokesperson, Tyrone Seale, said: The address follows meetings in recent NCCC, the Presidents Coordinating Council and Cabinet.

President Ramaphosa also hosted a virtual engagement on Sunday between government and interfaith leaders on the Covid-19 Risk-Adjusted Strategy which is an inclusive national effort that enables adaptive responses to the shifting pandemic. This engagement focused on the unfolding pandemic in the country and on the continent, including efforts to secure vaccines for all.

Cape Argus

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Level 4 lockdown message on WhatsApp slammed as fake news - IOL

Before a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol last week, the president gave a speech to his aggrieved supporters rife with lies, misinformation and conspiracy theories.

"The media is the biggest problem we have as far as Im concerned, single biggest problem, the fake news," Trump told his supporters. "We won this election, and we won it by a landslide."

Trump didn't win the election. Election officials and the departments of Justice and Homeland Security said the presidential election in November was fair, and on Thursday Congress certified Joe Biden as president elect. But Trump's speech and the chaos and violence it incited show the dangerous cultural, politicaland human consequences of false information. Experts say while certain factors may make someone more likely to believe false information, any of usare vulnerable.

President Donald Trump encourages protesters to "walk down to the Capitol" where lawmakers were set to confirm Joe Biden as president Jan. 6 before the rally became violent.(Photo: Evan Vucci, AP)

"We are all susceptible," said Dolores Albarracin, a psychology professorat the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who studies attitudes,communicationand behavior. "Because we cannot physically verify many of our beliefs is the earth round? we need to trust sources and documentation. If we trust trustworthy sources, we are generally safe, although all sources are fallible. If we trust untrustworthy ones, we are in danger."

De-radicalization: If someone you care about has been radicalized, here's what to know

A 2019 Ipsos survey of online users found 86% admit to falling for "fake news" at least once in their lifetime, and a 2014 study found in any given year roughly half of Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory.

"I don't think we fully understand the consequences of passing along bad information," said Al Tompkins, an expert at the Poynter Institute who teaches media literacy to senior citizens. "We have a personal, moral, ethical and civic responsibility to do basic amounts of research to know whether or not something that we're passing along is true."

Trump has endeavored to make "fake news" synonymous with the mainstream media. But conspiracy theories, misinformation and disinformation are more often found on social media, anonymous message boards and fringe websites that deceptively disseminate false or misleading content under the guise of legitimate news.

Many Americans say the spread of made-up news is causing significant harm, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey.

Column: Fake news victims are using lawsuits to shut down the lies. Can courts cure this plague?

"There is a myriad of consequences: From cynicism of government, the media, and science, to behaviors that harm individuals and others ... to large scale damage to public property, to insurrection," Albarracin said.

Albarracin said there is an important distinction between misinformation and conspiracy theories. Misinformation, she said, states something inaccurate. That the 2020 election was rigged is inaccurate. However, a conspiracy theory like QAnon is more elaborate and discredits any information that could prove that theory untrue, and therefore makes it much more difficult to correct.

Human beings want to be right, and when they search for information they do it with the intent of confirming what they already believe. It's called confirmation bias."

"It's always easier to take in information that you already believe," Tompkins said. "It's much more difficult and requires a whole different level of intellectual and emotional maturity to take in information that is not advantageous to you, that's not something you currently believe."

When someone feels the need to always be right, it can also shutdown productive conversation and healthy debate.

Save the Children?: Extremist conspiracy movement QAnon fabricates pedophile claims against Biden

"One way to be right is just to be louder," Tompkins said. "And there is an opposite and equal reaction to that that is very harmful to a democracy, and that is that other people just withdraw from the conversation. ... When they check out, then the forceful voice becomes the controlling voice."

People who primarily get their news from social media are at increased risk. A Pew report published in July shows Americans who rely primarily on social media for newsare more likely to be exposed to conspiracy theories and "tend to know less about the 2020 election, less about the coronavirus pandemic, and less about political news in general than people who rely on news websites, cable or network TV, radio, and print."

People with a sharper understanding of the news mediaare less likely to believe conspiracy theories, according to the 2017 study, News Media Literacy and Conspiracy Theory Endorsement."

"Individuals with higher levels of literacy are better-positioned to navigate the endless flow of media messages and to become more engaged, empowered and critical news consumers," the authors wrote.

There are also likely idiosyncratic motivational factors that may lead people to engage with misinformation, Pennycook said. Wanting to find an explanation for your child being sick, for example. Fear and anxiety can contribute to susceptibility.

Tompkins said all of us are responsible for how we consume and share information. Sometimes the way we talk about misinformation "presupposes that [people aren't] capable of protecting themselves, and I don't think that's the way to look at it," he said.

Fake news: What it is and how to spot it

All of ushave an obligation to establish the accuracy of a piece of information before passing it along. Tompkins said it's important toask:

"Have you done even the minimal amount of work to see if there's another way of seeing it?" he asked.

When engaging with someone who believes a piece of information that's unsupported by facts,demonstrate a willingness to listen. Trying to tell someone what to believe is never going to work, but you can offer to help someone explore their ideas.

Pennycook said you can also refer to the"Debunking Handbook," developed by dozens of academicsand which includes tips for correcting misinformation, includingstating the truth first in a clear and pithy way, explaining how the myth misleads and reinforcing the fact.

Educating people about facts and methods of verification has been shown to work, as has characterizing theories as illogical. But this, Albarracin said, has to occur ahead of someone subscribing to a conspiracy theory, in what is referred to as "prebunking."

"What works best is to prevent the formation of these beliefs," she said. "It is easy to introduce a belief but much harder to change it."

Tips: I'm a former CIA analyst trained to spot fake news. Here's how you can do it, too.

More: 'Significant and growing public health challenge,' Twitter cracks down on COVID-19 vaccine misinformation

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Anyone can fall for 'fake news,' conspiracy theories: The psychology of misinformation - USA TODAY

HOUSTON, TX For a team that does not have playoff games to prepare for, the Houston Texans still find themselves the center of attention. With the coming of the offseason, the Texans, deciding that the 2020-2021 playoffs were not in their best interests, worked to fill two jobs: General Manager and Head Coach. Last week, the Texans filled the GM position with one Nick Caserio. However, everything associated with said hire came under withering scrutiny.

The main point of contention centers on the role of (former) Interim GM and Executive Vice President Jack Easterby. Easterby, a pastor by trade, since his arrival in 2019 has gone from an advisory role, working behind the scenesto still working behind the scenes, but also becoming a major force within the Texans organization. In some respects, a figure like Easterby has not been seen in the NFL before.

There are numerous figures that the media will use as comparisons for Easterby. While we at Totally Not Fake News could slip into that trap of just randomly saying that Easterby is like X, we figure that you, our valued readers, dont need to be pandered to or told what to think. To that end, we will do what the rest of the so-called media wont do and ask the tough questions.

The question at hand: Who is the most appropriate figure that compares to one Mr. Jack Easterby? There are some strong candidates.

[Editors Note: This is the obligatory spoiler alert note for certain characters/stories. However, by this point, if you havent read/heard about some of these folks, that is on you. Still, to avoid any potential litigation, we offer this preface].

Peytr Baelish (a/k/a Littlefinger)

This name has come up multiple times when discussing Easterby. In particular, the SI article (that for some reason you cant seem to find anywhere on the Texans website) made extensive use of that comparison. For those who are not familiar, Littlefinger is a character from Game of Thrones, noted for his ability to ingratiate himself with those in power, only to just as quickly betray them for his own ends. This is not too unfamiliar to the actions of Easterby, except there is not near as much violence (that we know about) and sex (that we definitely dont know and dont want to know about).

However, Littlefinger is not a religious figure, so there is a degree of divergence from Easterby. Also, the final fate of Littlefinger will depend on whether or not you follow the TV series or the books. If you just watched the show (all seven seasonssix of them were good), Littlefinger is no more (a satisfying coup de grace from Sansa Stark). If you follow the books, Littlefinger is still alive, with his final fate TBD (much like our very own Jack Easterby).

Final Totally Not Fake News Ranking:

Just check out the list of people that Littlefinger betrayed to their deaths/ruins. Easterby would have some work to get there, but he is off to a good start. Hopkins, BOB, trashing the recommendations of the Korn Ferry Firm who Cal paid six figures for advice. If you add the fact that a lot of the coaches wont return in 2021 due to Easterbys work (Crennel, Weaver for certain), it just adds to the tab. Theres merit in this comparison, but perhaps not a complete match.

Grima Wormtongue:

Almost as common as Littlefinger, you find just as many references to Wormtongue. An older literary figure from the classic Lord of the Rings saga, Wormtongue is the advisor to King Theoden of Rohan, who finds itself under siege from the forces of Saurman. A son of Rohan, Wormtongue has risen to a position of power. Theoden is in a weakened state, adding to the power of Wormtongues advice and sway over the king. This is not that dissimilar to the current Easterby/McNair relationship.

Yet there is a major difference between Wormtongue and Easterby, and it doesnt have to do with fashion sense. Wormtongue, for all of his smooth talking and his power within the center of Rohan, is not acting out of complete self-interest. He is but a minion for a greater power (Saurman). While it is kind of fun to think that Easterby is part of an eleventy degree game of chess with Bill Belichick and the Texans, that Easterby left the Patriots after Robert Kraft faced human trafficking charges indicate that he is not a welcome figure within the Patriots structure. Unless he were to drive Deshaun Watson to the Patriots. Oh, and Wormtongue, in both the book and the extended DVD version, does not survive to the end. Easterby, as of this writing, still has a longer life expectancy.

Final Totally Not Fake News Ranking:

While Wormtongues smooth talking fits in-line with Easterbys actions, and Cal McNair is proving to be as weak as a weakened Theoden, this is not quite the ideal match. Unless new information comes out that the Patriots actually sent Easterby to sabotage the Texans comes out, this rating will not go any higher.

Cardinal Richelieu:

We now move into the realm of an actual historical figure. The son of a minor French noble, the man known as the Red Eminence rose to become perhaps the most powerful non-King/Emperor/President in French history. While Richelieu is also a figure in fictional literature (see the Three Musketeers), the real Richelieu had more than enough in his bio to make him quite the powerful behind-the-scenes figure. Once he got into the good graces of the mother of Louis XIII, Richelieu assured himself a place of prominence within the French court. He eventually gained the favor of Louis XIII (when he came of age to rule). Richelieu took the lead on French foreign policy, guiding the kingdom through everything from the nightmarish 30 Years War to French settlements within the New World. Richelieu developed an extensive network of spies and informants, and many a challenger to Red Eminence found him or herself regulated to exile, prison, or burned at the stake. Yet for all of Richelieus power and influence, the real character never made a move to usurp the ultimate seat of power (either French King or Pope). As best we can tell, Easterby is not yet making a move to become the owner of all things associated with the Texans.

Of course, not all religious figures are created equal. Richelieu was a servant of the Catholic Church (the Protestant Huguenots being one of his many targets), yet Richelieu aligned France against the Catholic Habsburgs, displaying a degree of flexibility that Easterby could only dream of. At this point, Easterby is a Protestant preacher, but one could see him play the role of a good Catholic if he needed to in order to keep his job.

Final Totally Not Fake News Ranking:

Richelieu is perhaps the most aspirational figure of those mentioned for Easterby. How Richelieu managed to maintain power and keep his rivals down must create so much envy in Easterby. The takedown of DeAndre Hopkins and BOB are small potatoes to what Richelieu did to his rivals, who were established advisors to the King and powerful noblewomen who sought influence in the French court. Both could run afoul of powerful figures, but the example of how Richelieu juggled the ire of kings and Popes to remain in powerone can only imagine Easterbys reaction.

Rasputin:

Another real-life figure, although there is enough to create a great fictional villain for a miniseries, Rasputin emerged from obscure origins in Russia, finding his faith in the Russian Orthodox Church. He was a petty criminal from Siberia, but once he converted to Orthodox Christianity, he became a traveling pilgrim who gained a following. The exact date of his first meeting with the Tsar and his family is in dispute. However, Rasputin was able to convey to the royal family that he knew how to cure Alexei of his hemophilia. This led to his rise within the court of the Tsar, and as a result, increased power and influence. Rasputin made tons of enemies, but the weak-minded Nicholas II and his wife saw Rasputin as a valued figure within the court, public opinion be damned. This did not serve them well with the coming of World War I. The ill-guided decisions of the Tsar and accusations of Rasputins influence did little to help the Empire. By late 1916, Rasputin was seen as a threat to Russia and was eventually assassinated, only after he was poisoned, shot, and dumped into the frozen Neva River in St. Petersburg (and you thought Easterby was hard to get rid of).

A major point is that Rasputin, while making himself into a powerful figure in the Tsarist court, did not have ambitions that would see him overthrow the Tsar. He was content to remain a powerful, behind-the-scenes presence. Easterby is cut from that same mold. At least no one as tried to assassinate Easterby, although the Andre Johnson tweet could serve as a social media assassination. Much like many did not cry when the dead body of Rasputin was pulled from the Nevka, few would mourn the exit of Easterby from the Texans.

Final Totally Not Fake News Ranking:

While comparing the decline of a successful NFL team to the fall of a full-up empire is a bit of an overdramatic metaphor, the Rasputin angle works better than expected. Yes, the differences between Orthodox and Protestant Christianity are well noted, but still, a religious mystic works his way into a power structure and manages to entrench himself and while all else is falling apart, his position is secure because he has the ear of a weak rulerjust change the languages, and you have a possible match. Of course, the reports of Rasputins sexual escapades may be a bridge too far for Easterby connections (no, we really, really dont want to know what Easterby is doing behind closed doors). Still, with the decline of the once powerful Texans, with their resources and Deshaun Watson, you could think that it is a parallel to what happened when Rasputin came into the Russian court and sank the Tsarist regime.

Jafar:

The Grand Vizier Jafar is a man who is playing a relatively weak king (sound familiar?) as he attempts to fulfill his own dreams of power. He is arrogant, but plays the game of subservience to the king as means to an end. His mastery of dark magic helps him to maintain power, and if not for the actions of a quick-witted street urchin, Jafar might have overthrown the king and been in power himself.

Yet I would think that Easterby might be offended by the comparisons between himself and Jafar. After all, Jafar is not exactly a Christian, and that might be a bit out of the Easterby mold. Also, I have not seen any sort of snake-headed staff from Easterby; if he did have it, it might explain some of the moves the Texans have made since he entered NRG ParkI mean, why would you offer Eric Murray the contract you did if BOB and Cal were not dazzled by a snake-headed staff?

Final Totally Not Fake News Ranking:

There is potential for the Easterby/Jafar comparisons, but while Easterby is out for power, he is not out for absolute power a la Jafar. Also, I cant see Easterby falling for the trick that would have him trapped in a lamp for eternity. Perhaps fired, but not trapped.

There you have it, the best candidates for comparisons for Easterby. While the editorial staff at Totally Not Fake News holds that Easterby is most like Richilieu, we do not want to suffocate the will of the masses. Therefore, we shall engage in our own polling to best determine, from this day forward, who is the best comparison to Jack Easterby. We will report back with results once we tally the votes.

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Totally Not Fake News: The Burning Question of Our Time - Battle Red Blog

Wayne Christian, one of three Texas Railroad Commissioners, seems to have just about had it with the French. And the Russians. And the Iranians. The sensationalist, fake news media and environmental extremists are off his Christmas list, too. He also has precious little time for the whole Environmental, Social and Governance, or ESG, investing thing or, as he puts it, the new woke way to save money.

His latest missiveAn Assault from All Fronts on Energy Independence wasnt published in all-caps;but it reads like the original draft was hammered out with the caps-lock on.

A little backstory: Texas has a problem with flaring and venting of natural gas,whereby unwanted gas (mainly from oil wells) is burned off or just released into the air. As shale oil production boomed in the Permian basin, so didflaring and venting; in recent years, more Texan gas has gone up into the heavens than been used in the stateshomes.

GAS: Why natural gas demand fell only slightly despite pandemic

Since natural gas releases carbonwhen burned and methane is a potent greenhouse gas on its own, these both exacerbate climate change. Last February, the commission felt compelled to issue a study defending its practice of handing out flaring permits with abandon. In November, it gave some ground and voted to update the application process; from April, producers will have to file more documentation justifying their need to flare gas.

This fell short of what environmentalists, several large fund managers and even some oil majors wanted. The French are also non-plussed, apparently. Engie SA, a French utility, broke off negotiations for a U.S. liquefied natural gas contract, reportedly under pressure from a French government which owns 24% of the company concerned about fracking and methane emissions.

This was, it seems, the final straw:

"France is going to have to get their natural gas from somewhere, and wherever it is its going to cause more harm to the environment and geopolitics. France may get its natural gas from Iran, which has dangerous nuclear ambitions and has threatened to blow up Israel several times. Or they could turn to Russia who has dangerous ambitions and invaded Crimea just a couple years ago. Or they could look to the Middle East, a region not exactly well known for its respect of Western legal traditions."

The phrase a lot to unpack theredoesnt do this paragraph quite the justice it deserves. The main point, though, is that Christian is dissing the French for not taking U.S. gas because that means getting it from a pack of deplorablesinstead.

While the language is a little more free-wheeling, Christians release is a natural successor to last Februarys report.Thatwas an exercise in whataboutism, spinning Texas gas flaring as not that bad if you focused on gas-per-barrel rather than absolute amounts and then compared that metric to tough benchmarks like Iraq andIran.Using flaring intensity elides the fact that climate change results fromthe absolute quantity of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere.

FLARING: RRC extends regulatory exemptions for oil companies over environmental groups' objections

Christian restates the intensity argument in a different way, writingless than a half percent of the gas produced in Texas was flared or vented, according to an announcement made last August. That announcementspecified that figure applied to the month of May 2020 which was an interesting month.

While Christianoverstates his case by choosing the period when the Saudi-Russian price war and Covid-19 sent the oil business into freefall, flaring is less intense than it was. Artem Abramov, who heads shale research at Rystad Energy, says the collapse in activity accelerated an existing decline in flaring. He estimates 1.6% of Permian gas was flared in the fourth quarter of 2020 triple Christians state-wide figure for May but waydown from the 4-5% level seen in late 2018 and much of 2019.

Yet there is no room for complacency. It remains to be seen how much flaring and venting comes back as fracking recovers; drilling and completion activityin the Permian and Eagle Ford basins in November wasstill 65-70% below the level of a year before.

In a striking presentation given last summer, Kayrros SAS, a French data analytics firm that tracks venting and flaring using satellite imagery, compared methane emissions for different gas producing regions around the world (viewthe webinar here). It found the methane intensity emissions per quantity of fuel for liquefied natural gas from the Permian basin to be far higher than for Russia. Meanwhile, in an analysis published last month, the Boston Consulting Group concluded U.S. LNG has the highest greenhouse-gas intensity of any major exporter, well above major competitors Russia and Qatar. That doesnt just relate to flaring and venting but also, for example, leaks from valves and other equipment.

Christian is right that Russian gascomes with strings attached (see this). On the other hand, the very name of President Donald Trumps energy dominance policy isnt exactly subtle about its intent. Speaking of an era of great power rivalry, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo boasted in 2019 that the U.S. isnt just exporting energy, but our commercial value system. Freedom molecules dont come for free, as it were. I dont know if you know many French people, but that sort of thing tends to rub them the wrong way (a bit like Texans in that regard). And it need hardly be mentioned that Trumps diplomatic relations with Europethese past few years have lacked a certain je ne sais quoi.

The point is, Texasmust earn its place in a competitive global market, not simply demand everyone get with the program. On this front, Christians dismissal of climate change concerns doesnt bode well. He centers his criticism on the Paris Agreement, repeating a tired (and debunked) talking point from the Trump Administration about its minimal impact on global temperature. Christian alsotouts U.S. gas as affordable. Butsuch apparent affordability is partly becauseits emissions gounpriced and at least some buyers now factor that in.

FUEL FIX:Now more than ever, you need our energy news in your inbox

While Christian may think climate action likethe Paris Agreement is misguided, a large and growing proportion of the rest of the U.S. and the world do not share that opinion. That includes banks wary of lending to projects with high emissions and authorities like the EU proposing carbon border-adjustment mechanisms (a tariffon foreign pollution, essentially).

Yes, shale gas helped to cut U.S. carbon emissions by displacing coal-fired power (although methane leaks associated with fracking undo at least some of the benefit). But that doesnt mean gas is assured of its place from here as emissions standards tighten and competing renewable energy technologies are deployed at different rates around the world. Even the International Energy Agency, whichlong championed gas as a so-called bridge fuel for energy transition, now projects demand to decline in the late 2020s under its sustainable development scenario(1).

BCG estimates that, even under a more bullish outlook, much of the incremental LNG export capacity needed by 2030 could be met by lower-cost projects in Qatar, Russia and Mozambique, leaving little room for the long list of proposed U.S. export terminals. That freedom gas will have to work hard to find buyers.

The swipe at ESG investing is similarly like kicking backthe tide. Capital markets are, as so often, anticipating the technological, economic and political shifts provoked by climate change. Does ESG suffer from bubbly hype and attract hucksters? Of course it does. But you could say exactly the same thing about the shale boom of the past decadethat Christian feels compelled to defend. He cites a May 2019 reportfrom right-wing think tank the Pacific Research Institute claiming the S&P 500 outperformed a basket of ESG investments by 44% over a decade. At leastthe ESG baskets returns were positive. If radical environmentalists are coming for your retirement account, as Christian puts it, maybe you best hope they got there before the shale guys did:

Yes, the collapse in oil prices touched off the frackers fall. That was just the spark, though; the bigger problem was a culture of excessive spending in thepursuit of growth rather than profits (see this, this, this and this). Never mind the E and the S, the G was sorely lacking. In this, the industry was enabled by enthusiastic investors and lenders (until recently). But the Texas Railroad Commissions willingness to hand out flaring permits by the thousands every year helped, too, effectively offloadingthe cost of dealing with greenhouse gas emissions to the general public.

Superficially, that helps the industry the commission is tasked with regulating. But the reality is that it encouraged the impulses that destroyed the frackers balance sheets and their relationship with investors. Above all, if U.S. gas is to be truly competitive in a world where supplies are plentiful but tolerance for emissions is dwindling, the industrymust ditchdrill-baby-drill. When buyers (and investors) have options, they make demands. Characterizingthat as an assault may be good for venting, but not much else.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Liam Denning is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy, mining and commodities. He previously was editor of the Wall Street Journal's Heard on the Street column and wrote for the Financial Times' Lex column. He was also an investment banker.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.

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RRC commissioner vents at France, fake news and the woke [Opinion] - Houston Chronicle

Many people from Indian, Asian and other non-white communities have been rejecting Covid-19 vaccines due to fake news about what they contain and their effect, prompting authorities to secure a major commitment from social media companies to clamp down on such material.

The Boris Johnson government has launched an information campaign in over 600 publications, including those that have high proportions of ethnic minority readerships, translating core messages in various languages to allay concerns over the safety of the vaccines.

Letting vaccine disinformation spread unchecked could cost lives. We take this issue extremely seriously and have secured a major commitment from Facebook, Twitter and Google to tackle it by not profiting from such material, and by responding to flagged content more swiftly, the health department said.

We continue to work closely with social media firms to promote authoritative sources of information so people have access to vaccine facts not fiction, it added.

Various studies have concluded that there is clear evidence that non-whites have been disproportionately affected by the virus with higher rates of infection, higher rates of serious disease and mortality. Vaccine-related fake news include disinformation that the jabs contain animal products or alcohol.

As of January 13, the highest death toll among non-white patients was that of the Indian group (1,453) in hospitals and care homes, according to NHS England.

Nadhim Zahawi, minister responsible for Covid vaccine deployment, said: Vaccines save lives and it is vitally important that everyone is confident to take up the offer of a vaccine.

We recognise the importance of raising awareness of the myriad benefits of vaccination within Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, who are known to be more at risk from Covid-19. The NHS provides targeted advice and public information about the vaccination process to build awareness about its benefits.

A recent survey commissioned by the Royal Society of Public Health suggested that 57% of the non-white communities would be happy to have the coronavirus vaccine, compared to over 70% of the rest of the population.

As of January 14, the number of people vaccinated with the first dose was 2,918,252 and 437,977 received the second dose.

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Alarm in UK over fake news prompting non-whites to reject Covid vaccination - Hindustan Times

CANBERRA, Australia -- A pigeon that Australia declared a biosecurity risk has received a reprieve after a U.S. bird organization declared its identifying leg band was fake.

The band suggested the bird found in a Melbourne backyard on Dec. 26 was a racing pigeon that had left the U.S. state of Oregon, 13,000 kilometers (8,000 miles) away, two months earlier.

On that basis, Australian authorities on Thursday said they considered the bird a disease risk and planned to kill it.

But Deone Roberts, sport development manager for the Oklahoma-based American Racing Pigeon Union, said on Friday the band was fake.

The band number belongs to a blue bar pigeon in the United States which is not the bird pictured in Australia, she said.

The bird band in Australia is counterfeit and not traceable, Roberts said. They do not need to kill him.

Australia's Agriculture Department, which is responsible for biosecurity, agreed that the pigeon dubbed Joe, after U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, was wearing a fraudulent copy leg band.

Following an investigation, the department has concluded that Joe the Pigeon is highly likely to be Australian and does not present a biosecurity risk, it said in a statement.

The department said it will take no further action.

Acting Australian Prime Minister Michael McCormack had earlier said there would be no mercy if the pigeon was from the United States.

If Joe has come in a way that has not met our strict biosecurity measures, then bad luck Joe, either fly home or face the consequences, McCormack said.

Martin Foley, health minister for Victoria state where Joe is living, had called for the federal government to spare the bird even if it posed a disease risk.

I would urge the Commonwealths quarantine officials to show a little bit of compassion, Foley said.

Andy Meddick, a Victorian lawmaker for the minor Animal Justice Party, called for a pigeon pardon for Joe.

Should the federal government allow Joe to live, I am happy to seek assurances that he is not a flight risk, Meddick said.

Melbourne resident Kevin Celli-Bird, who found the emaciated bird in his backyard, was surprised by the change of nationality but pleased that the bird he named Joe would not be destroyed.

I thought this is just a feel-good story and now you guys want to put this pigeon away and I thought its not on, you know, you cant do that, there has got to be other options, Celli-Bird said of the threat to euthanize.

Celli-Bird had contacted the American Racing Pigeon Union to find the birds owner based on the number on the leg band. The bands have both a number and a symbol, but Celli-Bird didnt remember the symbol and said he can no longer catch the bird since it has recovered from its initial weakness.

The bird with the genuine leg band had disappeared from a 560-kilometer (350-mile) race in Oregon on Oct. 29, Crooked River Challenge owner Lucas Cramer said.

That bird did not have a racing record that would make it valuable enough to steal its identity, he said.

That bird didnt finish the race series, it didnt make any money and so its worthless, really, Cramer said.

He said it was possible a pigeon could cross the Pacific on a ship from Oregon to Australia.

In reality, it could potentially happen, but this isnt the same pigeon. Its not even a racing pigeon, Cramer said.

The bird spends every day in the backyard, sometimes with a native dove on a pergola.

I might have to change him to Aussie Joe, but hes just the same pigeon, Celli-Bird said.

Lars Scott, a carer at Pigeon Rescue Melbourne, a bird welfare group, said pigeons with American leg bands were not uncommon around the city. A number of Melbourne breeders bought them online and used them for their own record keeping, Scott said.

Australian quarantine authorities are notoriously strict. In 2015, the government threatened to euthanize two Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo, after they were smuggled into the country by Hollywood star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Faced with a 50-hour deadline to leave Australia, the dogs made it out in a chartered jet.

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Fake US leg band gets pigeon a reprieve in Australia - ABC News

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Despite Donald Trumps impending departure from the White House, fake news, as both a slogan and a phenomenon, is here to stay.

When it comes to fake news, human beings have been particularly addicted to the narratives of character assassination from time immemorial. The future of reputation assaults will be the distant past the informational viruses of inquisitions and witch hunts that tap into pre-existing fears that spread without intervention from referees.

Indeed, character assassination is the weapon of our age; the only things that have changed since the times of our barbaric ancestors are the technologies of attack and the false belief that were more advanced than they were.

To understand why fake news is here to stay we first have to look at what the term means and differentiate it from biased news. Fake news consists of factually fabricated stories spread mostly on social media. Biased news is corrupted by the ideological agendas of the news outlet and has been the cornerstone of the mainstream American media for decades. News can be biased both in its content and in what the outlet chooses to cover and not to cover.

Mr. Trump deliberately conflates biased news or news he does not like with fake news, which is not the same thing.

Fake news, especially information designed to damage a target, will remain for a few reasons. First, there is a bottomless market for it.

Billions of people are actively seeking to have their worldviews validated, especially if it involves confirmation that we are victims of an adversarial elite that is standing in the way of our dreams or sense of justice. If one of these elites can be sacrificed in the manner of the proverbial virgin tossed into the volcano, were all in. Lying or spreading false information in the new climate is a perverse act proving that the trafficker has grit and tribal affinity.

Comic actor Rowan Atkinson recently said, The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a simplistic, binary view of society. It becomes a case of either youre with us or against us. And if youre against us, you deserve to be canceled.

Another reason why character assassination using dubious data is here to stay is that it has never been easier to do. Aiding in the unfettered spread of politically-motivated fake news is its overseas origins, beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement. In colonial America and medieval Europe, character assassination took the form of verbal gossip alleging, during times of great anxiety, that an unlovable person was possessed by demons. Today, we have Twitter.

For much of the 20th century, the media were deeply biased but there were referees. If someone wanted to level an allegation, most journalists even biased ones felt an obligation to vet the charge or assess its merits before publishing it. The Internet has wiped out the referees.

Lifestyle self-promoter Hilaria Baldwin (wife of actor Alec) was recently exposed as a well-to-do American White woman as opposed to the Spanish continental of her fierce marketing. All it took was an anonymous tweet from someone who didnt dig her act based on some superficial research. The close cousin of character assassination is, after all, character suicide.

In our age, all sins are essentially equal. Harvey Weinstein is rightly ruined for being a habitual sexual predator while Sen. Al Franken loses his Senate seat for being photographed making a crude gesture during his days as a comedian. Woe to anyone who suggests there is a spectrum of wrongdoing.

John Kerry, like all politicians is a self-promoter, but he lost the presidency in large measure because his honorable military service in Vietnam was attacked by detractors in the searing Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign.

Where one stands on an attack or a person or institution depends upon pre-existing biases. Nevertheless, penetrating attacks with fraudulent elements include charges that: Bill Gates created the coronavirus in order to profit from it; Donald Trump is actively controlled by the Kremlin; Dr. Anthony Fauci led the way in downplaying COVID-19; Justice Amy Coney Barrett is fully indoctrinated in a cult where women must obey their husbands and provide sex on demand.

Despite the colossal lies that wrongly convicted the Duke lacrosse players in the court of public opinion of rape, there is also enough recorded footage of genuine injustice as in the death of George Floyd that it makes the less provable ones plausible.

Issues of the day all have character assassination element #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, climate change. A woman who has been assaulted will be the recipient of demeaning rumors if she comes forward, the accused will have his reputation and job prospects shattered. With Black Lives Matter, profiling is an act of character assassination as is being accused of being a Karen, a White woman acting out her latent racism through accusatory behavior. Climate change quickly degenerates into ad hominem attacks on scientists and their motives.

And now we have the rise of deep fakes, the manipulation of video and audio technology that can make fake words come out of a real persons mouth, which happened when former President Obama allegedly cursed about his successor and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted his objective was to manipulate users for profit. Both of these examples were deep fakes.

Whether you call it fake news, biased news or character assassination, there is no current antidote. The only hope that I can see is intense awareness all along the ideological spectrum.

Comedian Ricky Gervais recently spoke about the hazards of being misunderstood in our digital Dodge City: The scary thing is being canceled if you say the wrong thing and suddenly Netflix can take you off their platform. You could be the most woke, politically correct stand-up in the world at the moment, but you dont know what its going to be like in 10 years time. You can get canceled for things you said 10 years ago.

Eric Dezenhall is the author of the new novel about character assassination, False Light, and the CEO of Dezenhall Resources, a crisis management firm.

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Why fake news is here to stay - Washington Times

Malayalam actress Lena was in the UK filming for her next Footprints On Water for a month now and the actress has returned to India recently. She shared that she came to know about fake news circulating on social media and several online media that she has tested positive for COVID-19 and is admitted to a hospital in Bangalore. The actress has put a note on her social media handle and has urged to stop spreading the false news. A fake news is spreading through online media and social media that I am (Actress Lena) tested covid positive and hospitalised in Bangalore. This is totally fake, I came from UK with a covid negative RTPCR test result and as part of the current covid protocol for passengers coming from UK, I am quarantined at Govt. Hospital Bangalore and waiting for the genome sequencing test result, Lena said in her Instagram post. Online media has been falsely reporting that I am Covid positive. Please do not share this news. I am safe here. Thank you for your concern and prayers. Love, Lena, she added. Lena has also attached the test results of her test with the note. Check out the post here.Directed by Nathalia Syam, Footprints On Water will feature Lena in a pivotal role. The film revolves around an illegal immigrant family based in London. Adil Hussain and Lena will play a couple and Nimisha Sajayan will step into the shoes of their daughter.

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Lena urges to stop spreading fake news; shares that she hasnt tested positive for COVID-19 - Times of India