Horror-scopes?

My latest letter to the Hamilton Spectator Harry Shannon The letter wasn’t published, but others making some similar points were. It followed a column by the Toronto Star’s public editor, Bruce Campion-Smith. (Torstar owns the Star and the Spec and the two papers print the same horoscopes.) Campion-Smith noted that the astrologer who wro…

How Breitbart creates fake news on coronavirus – though maybe unintentionally

Harry Shannon You have no doubt heard of the far-right web site Breitbart.  It makes Fox News look timid and centrist.  As for accuracy … um, consider this. On March 17, 2020, they published a story about coronavirus.  Well, they published a lot of stories on the topic, but one headline caught my eye. It read: ‘Study: 86 pe…

Whose fake news?

Harry Shannon We’re hearing a lot about fake news.  To hear Donald Trump call it, you’d think that it’s the mainstream media that are centrist or lean to the left who are guilty of misreporting or even making up stories.  Of course he produces no evidence to back up his claim.  Nor does he comment on the accuracy of reports on the rig…