More about this right-wing brand of “moral panic” journalism and how to recognise and dismantle it.
The characteristics of these BS stories include:
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Low stakes: the supposed terrible consequences levied by the accused (in this case leftists) are in reality either minor or non-existent.
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Irrelevant Examples: examples of the “disturbing trend” provided in the story are tangential at best.
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Misleading statistics: quantitative supporting data in the story, often taken from dubious sources, is misinterpreted.
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False equivalence: the story usually downplays actual examples of the trend perpetrated by those who the accusation benefits even as it acknowledges it in passing).
