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Editorial: #FakeAds

“Fake news” is the buzzword on people’s lips these days, and everyone seems to believe either 1. that it happens, especially in the old-line media, or 2. is a divisive distraction.

But today, friends, we wish to discuss fake ads, with particular reference to the 3,000 ads, more or less, that a Russian agency reportedly bought on Facebook before the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

We saw plenty of these polemical rants, blocked most of them, and wondered how supposedly sane and balanced people swallowed their lies. We suspect a great majority of FB followers felt the same way, although these ads were said to be targeted with specific messages for specific audiences, and had an impact on the results.

Back in the quaint old days, when politicians feared the influence of TV and newspapers, they put requirements on print and broadcast ads.

You have seen these and heard them: “I’m (name of candidate), and I approved this message” in the voice of the c...

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