August 30, 2024

Kamala Harris shows true lefty colors in CNN interview, admits her ‘values have not changed’ despite major policy flip-flops

Why Troubling News:

This article is incredibly negative towards Harris starting with the catchy title and throughout the article. The author's bias is apparent and doesn't allow the reader to think and form their own opinion. The quotes used in the article are also biased against Harris and the article is really just an attack on what she's previously said and doubting her abilities.

August 27, 2024

Dems put on the fakest show on Earth at DNC with Kamala Harris’ shameless shtick as a tough-on-crime moderate

Why Troubling News:

To call this an opinion piece would be using misinformation, as reading this feels more like a smear campaigning propaganda piece rather than an Op-Ed. The whole article has no real point or any real conclusion other than to try and make Kamala Harris look bad. However, rather than going into what policies the author disagrees with and expressing why they are, in the author's opinion, the wrong way to handle these ideas, the entire piece just spouts exaggerated and hostile claims about Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party, and even the few Republican politicians who took part in the Convention, even referring to Adam Kinzinger as "Nancy Pelosi’s pet traitor on the Jan. 6 committee". The writing for this piece is so unprofessional and radical, it's comically childish.

August 26, 2024

The Obamas Sing Songs of Themselves

Why Troubling News:

This news post is not really misinformation--it's simply a troubling opinion piece. The article is written in a highly cynic and dismissive tone, making valid criticisms less factually strong. Articles such as this are not helpful for contributing to a more positive and constructive environment in American politics. The authors of course have the right to write whatever they want, but their choices in rhetoric should still be criticized. The article risks alienating readers from a more informed and critical examination of Democratic leaders.

August 26, 2024

CLAY TRAVIS: When the Dems lose a Kennedy, they’ve lost the plot

Why Troubling News:

The claim that the media and the DNC are "rigging" the election against Trump and Kennedy plays into existing conspiracy narratives that lack substantial evidence. The article repeatedly criticizes Kamala Harris, using derogatory language and unfounded claims e.g., calling her a "phantom candidate" and implying she was installed without any democratic process. The article also asserts that Trump "knocked out" Biden in a debate, ending Biden's political career. This is not only a subjective interpretation but also an exaggeration. While opinion pieces are meant to present a viewpoint, this extreme article lacks balance and relies on hyperbolic language to vilify an entire political party. This can contribute to polarization and distrust in democratic institutions.

August 26, 2024

CLAY TRAVIS: When the Dems lose a Kennedy, they’ve lost the plot

Why Troubling News:

The claim that the media and the DNC are "rigging" the election against Trump and Kennedy plays into existing conspiracy narratives that lack substantial evidence. The article repeatedly criticizes Kamala Harris, using derogatory language and unfounded claims e.g., calling her a "phantom candidate" and implying she was installed without any democratic process. The article also asserts that Trump "knocked out" Biden in a debate, ending Biden's political career. This is not only a subjective interpretation but also an exaggeration. While opinion pieces are meant to present a viewpoint, this extreme article lacks balance and relies on hyperbolic language to vilify an entire political party. This can contribute to polarization and distrust in democratic institutions.

August 25, 2024

DNC panel: Supreme Court has become weapon for Christian nationalism

Why Troubling News:

The title already gives away the author's heavy bias against the American right. Their article goes on to discuss how there's an apparent rise in Christian nationalism in the United States and that the Republican Party is using the religion for political gain, or as they put it "obtaining authoritarian power." This is problematic for a few reasons. For one, fearmongering is a tactic that has been used by far right public speakers and writers, and this author doesn't exactly prove to be much better themselves when using the same tactic from the other side of the aisle. Second, if Americans are being told that a bunch of Christian nationalists are trying to take over the country and make it more authoritarian, that's going to put the people who believe that on edge. When that happens, they become more prone to demonizing the other side of the aisle and seeing them as an existential threat. That in turn only increases polarization which is something that doesn't need to be added to.

August 25, 2024

Rep. Malliotakis to Newsmax: US Will Be Like Venezuela Under Harris

Why Troubling News:

Rep. Malliotakis is simply fearmongering here. There is a wide chasm between the US and Venezuela as far as institutions go. Here, our informal institutions and culture prevent the same authoritarian policies from succeeding. This is a common (weak) insult used by right wingers. Democrats are not, on the whole of it, socialist. Here’s a quote: “This same socialist playbook is being brought here to the United States," Malliotakis said. "It is starting with the divisiveness. It is starting with the anti-police movement.”

August 25, 2024

Rep. Malliotakis to Newsmax: US Will Be Like Venezuela Under Harris

Why Troubling News:

Rep. Malliotakis is simply fearmongering here. There is a wide chasm between the US and Venezuela as far as institutions go. Here, our informal institutions and culture prevent the same authoritarian policies from succeeding. This is a common (weak) insult used by right wingers. Democrats are not, on the whole of it, socialist. Here’s a quote: “This same socialist playbook is being brought here to the United States," Malliotakis said. "It is starting with the divisiveness. It is starting with the anti-police movement.”

August 24, 2024

Harris summons Americans to reject political divisions and warns of consequences posed by a Trump win

Why Troubling News:

The title says it all, "reject political divisions and warns of consequences posed by a Trump win". That is contradictory sentence if I've ever seen one. That alienates half the country just like Hillary Clinton did in 2016 and I'm not even a Trump supporter. To win over republicans, she mustn't insult them, she needs to lay out more policy and the tone in this article seems to not understand that. Furthermore, the article includes a quote by Harris saying Trump has only ever had one client, himself. To the average reader, they may take it on face value and think the former President is truly selfish and not only is that unfair, that is disingenuous of the Vice President to say so. The same way it would be unfair and disingenuous if Trump said that of Obama. Last thing I'd say, the AP talked about how Trump supporters assaulted police at the Capitol which is accurate but failed to mention that left wing activists did the same thing in the summer of 2020. That paints one side as bad as opposed to the objective truth that both sides have physically assaulted law enforcement.

August 24, 2024

Donald Trump knew exactly what he was doing in Michigan

Why Troubling News:

This news was troubling to me merely because it was not advertised well that it is an opinion article. It wasn't until I read into the article did I realize. The title is misleading. Many other news outlets write "Opinion Article:" before the title to clarify. This could lead to misinformation because of the lack of clarification.

August 24, 2024

Over 100 students without bus service as Massachusetts funds buses for migrants

Why Troubling News:

This article is troubling largely due to the misleading title that is intended to rile up readers using an extremely divisive issue that is receiving a lot of attention as of late. Without reading the article, it appears that migrants are to blame for busing services. In reality, a bus and driver shortage in addition to state mandates are causing the busing shortage. An article title like this one is purposefully misleading in order to shift the blame on the specific group the author wants to blame. At a time when many people are easily influenced, seeing a headline like this immediately leads to a rather visceral reaction which can lead to bias before, during, and after reading the actual article.

August 24, 2024

RFK Jr. as Trump’s health secretary? Here’s what he wants to do

Why Troubling News:

The article is by NBC and is constantly criticizing RFK jr. in a disingenuous manner. But lets start with what they get right, they rightfully criticizes how claimed hydroxychloroquine worked against COVID even though medical journals have found the opposite to be true. They also pointed out how he said vaccines have probably killed more people than they've helped which is objectively false. For example, the Polio vaccine saved untold millions, perhaps the entire human race from such a horrible fate. However, they do get some things wrong.The article talks about how RFK is anti-vaccine when he has said in a number of interviews and in videos that he supports vaccines he is just hesitant of the long-term consequences. He claims the long-term consequences of things like the COVID-19 vaccine cannot be studied because not enough time has gone by which is absolutely true and I'm vaccinated by the Moderna vaccine. Him advocating for more care and greater oversight of vaccines is not anti-vaccine and may lead voters and people across the globe to think he is saying vaccines shouldn't be taken. Furthermore, he has even said he took the COVID-19 vaccine as did his entire family, but he is understandably concerned about its long term effects.