#misinformation — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #misinformation, aggregated by home.social.
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Modern propaganda is a consistent, enduring effort to create or shape events to influence the relations of the public to an enterprise, idea or group. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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56 studies. 86,000 people. One number tells you almost everything.
Humans catch deepfakes about as often as a coin flip catches heads.
#ai #artificialintelligence #technology #tech #deepfakes #deepfake #misinformation #practicaltech
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Propaganda becomes vicious and reprehensive only when its authors consciously and deliberately disseminate what they know to be lies, or when they aim at effects which they know to be prejudicial to the common good. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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The mechanism by which ideas are disseminated on a large scale is propaganda, in the broad sense of an organized effort to spread a particular belief or doctrine. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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@ebbot 2/2 and at last even the bourgeoisie stood in fear of the common people. For the masses promised to become king. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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From our leaders and the media they use to reach the public, we accept the evidence and the demarcation of issues bearing upon public question; from some ethical teacher, be it a minister, a favorite essayist, or merely prevailing opinion, we accept a standardized code of social conduct to which we conform most of the time. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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We have voluntarily agreed to let an invisible government sift the data and high-spot the outstanding issue so that our field of choice shall be narrowed to practical proportions. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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Emil Ludwig represents Napoleon as %27ever on the watch for indications of public opinion; always listening to the voice of the people, a voice which defies calculation. ‘Do you know,%27 he said in those days, ‘what amazes me more than all else? The impotence of force to organize anything.%27 --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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This invisible, intertwining structure of groupings and associations is the mechanism by which democracy has organized its group mind and simplified its mass thinking. To deplore the existence of such a mechanism is to ask for a society such as never was and never will be. To admit that it exists, but expect that it shall not be used, is unreasonable. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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@ebbot 2/2 geographical integration has been supplemented by many other kinds of grouping, so that persons having the same ideas and interests may be associated and regimented for common action even though they live thousands of miles apart. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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In theory, every citizen makes up his mind on public questions and matters of private conduct. In practice, if all men had to study for themselves the abstruse economic, political, and ethical data involved in every question, they would find it impossible to come to a conclusion without anything. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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I am SO freaking sick of the lying stories our politicians & media tell
🙏 to Ketan Joshi for describing the state of data centre regulation in #australia
#ai #technology #politics #misinformation
https://ketanjoshi.co/2026/08/14/please-do-not-help-the-data-centre-lobby-fight-in-favour-of-pollution/ -
For the sake of simplicity and practicality, that party machines should narrow down the field of choice to two candidates, or at most three or four. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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As civilization has become more complex, and as the need for invisible government has been increasingly demonstrated, the technical means have been invented and developed by which opinion may be regimented. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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Some of the phenomena of this process are criticized—the manipulation of news, the inflation of personality, and the general ballyhoo by which politicians and commercial products and social ideas are brought to the consciousness of the masses. The instruments by which public opinion is organized and focused may be misused. But such organization and focusing are necessary to orderly life. #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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@ebbot 2/2 to be organized by leadership and propaganda. #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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@ebbot 2/2 choice narrowed to ideas and objects brought to it attention through propaganda of all kinds. There is consequently a vast and continuous effort going on to capture our minds in the interest of some policy or commodity or idea. #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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It is not usually realized how necessary these invisible governors are to the orderly functioning of our group life. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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@ebbot 2/2 dominated by the relatively small number of persons—a trifling fraction of our hundred and twenty million—who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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AI-generated wildlife images are endangering animals and people, experts warn. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2026/08/17/wildlife/conservationists-ai-wildlife-visuals/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #wildlife #orangutans #ai #wildlife #misinformation #deepfakes #malaysia
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We are governed, our minds molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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# Trump Calls North Korea “Unthreatening” as He Orders South Korea Drills Cut — After Fresh Missile Tests
**WASHINGTON / SEOUL / CIVICOHUB — August 17, 2026**
President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to **“substantially reduce”** major joint military exercises with South Korea while describing nuclear-armed North Korea as **“unthreatening and respectful.”**
The order came only days after North Korea carried out its second ballistic-missile launch in less than a week.
Trump also tied his frustration with Seoul to the war with Iran, saying South Korean President Lee Jae Myung rejected a request to assist U.S. efforts to denuclearize Iran with a simple:
**“No thanks!”**
South Korea has not publicly confirmed that version of the conversation. Seoul says possible military contributions remain under discussion.
The result is an unusual diplomatic picture:
**A nuclear-armed adversary conducting missile tests is publicly described by the U.S. president as “unthreatening,” while a treaty ally recently praised by his own Pentagon for burden-sharing is being criticized and seeing joint exercises cut back.**
## I. NORTH KOREA: “UNTHREATENING”?
Trump said the annual U.S.-South Korea exercises were expensive and sent an unnecessarily hostile signal toward Pyongyang.
His description of North Korea as “unthreatening,” however, clashes with both recent events and his own administration’s threat assessment.
North Korea launched another ballistic missile on August 11 from the Wonsan area. It traveled more than 700 kilometers toward waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
That launch came only days after another North Korean short-range ballistic-missile test. Pyongyang then threatened a strong response to the upcoming U.S.-South Korean exercises.
Washington and Seoul say the drills are defensive and intended to maintain readiness against North Korean threats.
More importantly, Trump’s own **2026 National Defense Strategy** describes North Korea very differently.
The Pentagon says the DPRK poses a **direct military threat** to South Korea and Japan, possesses missiles capable of delivering conventional and nuclear weapons, and has nuclear forces increasingly capable of threatening the U.S. homeland.
The strategy describes those forces as a **“clear and present danger of nuclear attack on the American Homeland.”**
That does not mean diplomacy with Kim Jong Un is wrong.
It does mean **“unthreatening”** is incompatible with the formal threat assessment published by Trump’s own Defense Department.
### FACT CHECK: 🚨 MISLEADING / CONTRADICTED BY HIS OWN PENTAGON
“Respectful” is subjective.
“Unthreatening” is a characterization of the security environment — and the available evidence does not support it.
## II. THE DRILLS TRUMP ORDERED CUT
The annual **Ulchi Freedom Shield** exercises began Monday and are scheduled to continue through August 27.
Around **18,000 South Korean troops** are participating.
This year’s exercise includes preparations for missile attacks, drones, GPS disruption, cyber operations and other threats associated with modern warfare on the Korean Peninsula. U.S. military officials say the drills are intended to strengthen combined readiness.
Trump ordered Pete Hegseth to reduce the drills because cancellation was no longer practical once they were about to begin.
Exactly how much can now be removed from an exercise already underway remains unclear.
### CLAIM:
**The exercises are a hostile act against North Korea.**
### STATUS: ⚪ POLITICAL / STRATEGIC INTERPRETATION
North Korea calls them invasion rehearsals.
The United States and South Korea call them defensive readiness exercises.
Whether reducing them improves diplomacy or weakens deterrence is a policy question whose outcome cannot yet be known.
## III. THEN IRAN ENTERED THE KOREA DISPUTE
Trump also connected his decision to South Korea’s response to the Iran conflict.
He said he asked President Lee whether Seoul wanted to join U.S. efforts toward the **“Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran”** and claimed Lee replied:
**“No thanks!”**
That makes Seoul’s position sound definitive.
Its public response is not.
South Korea’s presidential office says potential military contributions are still being discussed while considering:
* readiness on the Korean Peninsula;
* South Korea’s own security requirements;
* domestic legal procedures.That does not prove Trump fabricated the private exchange.
Only the participants know exactly what was said.
But Seoul has **not publicly confirmed Trump’s simplified account**, and its current position is more nuanced than a blanket refusal.
### FACT CHECK: ⚠️ UNVERIFIED / OVERSIMPLIFIED
Trump’s **“No thanks!”** version cannot currently be independently confirmed.
South Korea says possible support remains under discussion.
## IV. THE ALLY TRUMP’S OWN PENTAGON RECENTLY PRAISED
Trump’s complaint about the cost of the exercises also requires context.
Washington and Seoul have long disputed how much each should contribute to the alliance and to the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.
But just months ago, Hegseth publicly held South Korea up as an example of exactly what the Trump administration wants from its allies.
On May 30, he said:
**“If you want to see what burden sharing looks like, consider the Republic of Korea.”**
Hegseth praised Seoul for consistently investing in defense, moving toward **3.5% of GDP** in defense spending, building combat power and assuming greater responsibility for conventional defense.
Trump’s own National Defense Strategy likewise says South Korea is among the allies that have begun stepping up their defense contributions.
That does not eliminate legitimate disputes over the cost of individual exercises.
It does provide crucial context when South Korea is portrayed primarily as an expensive ally while North Korea is described in reassuring terms.
## V. ALLY VS. ADVERSARY
### NORTH KOREA
* Nuclear armed
* Expanding missile and nuclear forces
* Two recent ballistic-missile tests in less than a week
* Threatening responses to U.S.-South Korean exercises
* Formally classified by Trump’s Pentagon as a direct military threat**Trump: “unthreatening and respectful.”**
### SOUTH KOREA
* Formal U.S. treaty ally
* Hosts approximately 28,500 U.S. troops
* Deploying about 18,000 troops in Ulchi Freedom Shield
* Increasing defense spending
* Praised by Hegseth as a model of burden-sharing**Trump: orders the exercises substantially reduced and criticizes Seoul over Iran and costs.**
This does not prove Trump’s diplomatic strategy will fail.
Presidents sometimes reduce military pressure to create room for negotiations. Trump attempted that approach with Kim during his first presidency.
But those earlier summits did not eliminate North Korea’s nuclear arsenal or ballistic-missile program.
Any renewed diplomacy should therefore be judged against the security facts that exist now.
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# FACT CHECK & VERIFICATION SHEET
## CLAIM 1
**North Korea has been “unthreatening.”**
### STATUS: 🚨 MISLEADING / CONTRADICTED BY OFFICIAL U.S. ASSESSMENTS
North Korea has conducted two recent ballistic-missile launches and continues developing its missile and nuclear forces.
Trump’s own National Defense Strategy says North Korea poses a direct military threat to U.S. allies and an increasing nuclear threat to the American homeland.
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## CLAIM 2
**The joint military exercises are a hostile act against North Korea.**
### STATUS: ⚪ OPINION / STRATEGIC INTERPRETATION
Pyongyang considers the exercises provocative.
The United States and South Korea describe them as defensive readiness drills.
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## CLAIM 3
**South Korea simply replied “No thanks!” to helping the U.S. over Iran.**
### STATUS: ⚠️ NOT INDEPENDENTLY CONFIRMED / OVERSIMPLIFIED
Trump says President Lee rejected the request.
Seoul has not confirmed that wording and says potential military contributions remain under discussion, subject to security and legal considerations.
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## CLAIM 4
**South Korea is failing to carry its share of the defense burden.**
### STATUS: ⚠️ MISSING MAJOR CONTEXT
Trump has longstanding cost disputes with Seoul.
But Hegseth recently praised South Korea as a model of burden-sharing, citing increased defense spending and greater responsibility for its conventional defense.
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# THE CIVICOHUB VERDICT
This is not a fact-check of whether Trump should negotiate with Kim Jong Un.
Diplomacy is a policy choice.
The misinformation problem lies elsewhere.
A nuclear-armed state that has just fired ballistic missiles and is officially classified by the Pentagon as a direct threat is not accurately summarized as simply **“unthreatening.”**
And disagreement with South Korea over Iran does not erase the fact that Trump’s own Defense Department recently praised Seoul as a leading example of allied burden-sharing.
**Diplomacy may require flexibility. It does not require rewriting the threat assessment.**
# SOURCES
**Reuters — August 16–17, 2026**
Trump’s order to reduce U.S.-South Korea exercises; North Korea and Iran remarks; South Korea’s response.**Associated Press — August 10–17, 2026**
Ulchi Freedom Shield, recent North Korean missile launches and Pyongyang’s response.**U.S. Department of Defense — 2026 National Defense Strategy**
Official U.S. assessment of North Korea’s conventional, missile and nuclear threat.**U.S. Department of Defense — May 30, 2026**
Pete Hegseth remarks describing South Korea as an example of allied burden-sharing.#CivicoHub #DonaldTrump #NorthKorea #SouthKorea #KimJongUn #KoreanPeninsula #UlchiFreedomShield #Iran #USPolitics #FactCheck #NuclearWeapons #MissileTests #Geopolitics #Misinformation #Accountability #IndependentJournalism #Fediverse #news
**CIVICOHUB — DIPLOMACY NEEDS FACTS TOO.**
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@ebbot 2/2 change the world that Edward Bernays, among others, made for us. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
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@ebbot 2/2 just lying, but betrayal. --Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928) #propaganda #disinformation #misinformation #fakenews #uniparty #EconomicHappinessMachine
