Trust Me, I'm Lying

Traditional journalistic values like accuracy and impartiality have taken a backseat to generating traffic and revenue.

Sensationalism and controversy are more likely to generate clicks than substantive news.

Online media operates on a 24-hour news cycle and is constantly looking for new content to publish.

Blogs often lack the resources to fact-check stories thoroughly, making it easier to get false information into the news cycle.

Journalists are always looking for new sources to interview and quote in their articles.

Media manipulators can offer up sources who are willing to give sensational quotes or spin stories in certain ways.

The media tends to follow the lead of other media outlets, and the first story on a particular topic often sets the agenda for how subsequent stories will be covered.

Media manipulators can take advantage of this by planting a story in one outlet and then watching it spread to others.

Journalists often use anonymous sources to protect their identities or to get information that they wouldn't be able to get otherwise.

Media manipulators can use this to their advantage by posing as anonymous sources and feeding false or misleading information to the media.

The media tends to focus on the latest story or scandal and quickly moves on to the next one.

Media manipulators can take advantage of this by creating distractions or diverting attention away from negative stories.

Stories that generate fear or outrage are more likely to be shared and spread on social media.

Media manipulators can create false or exaggerated stories that play on people's fears and biases.

The media ecosystem is set up in a way that rewards clicks and pageviews over accuracy and impartiality.

Media manipulators are likely to continue exploiting the system as long as it remains profitable.