Misinformation - Season 2 , Episode 8

I’m finally back with a new episode of the Josephine County Republican Podcast after taking a little break and spending some time in Curaçao.

In this episode I talk about something that is becoming a serious problem in our country and even here in our own community. Misinformation on the internet.

Social media is full of memes, headlines, screenshots, and viral posts that are designed to make people angry before they ever check if something is actually true. In this episode I explain what a meme is, why they spread so quickly, and why both the left and the right need to slow down and verify things before sharing them.

We also talk about a few recent examples of misinformation circulating online and why it is important to go directly to real sources like the FBI, DOJ, and official statements instead of trusting viral posts.

I also share a few photos from my trip to Curaçao and talk about some possible upcoming interviews including Josephine County Commissioners Colene Martin and Gary Richardson along with a possible interview with Dr. Frank.

Also coming up very soon is the Patriots Conference on March 28 at the Josephine County Fairgrounds.

Tickets
 https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/organizations/josephine-county-republican-central-committee-pac--319

Take a few minutes to watch and let me know what you think.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Josephine County Republican. Welcome back, everyone. It's been a while since I've done a podcast. I just got back from vacation in Carocao. So I figured I'd take a short break at the start of the video and show you guys a few photos from the trip. Uh so it was a great time. Yeah, I got to go do some sailing. We got some swimming. We got some swimming with the dolphins, scuba diving, jet skiing, zip lines, and a lot more. Beautiful place. It was definitely a good reset before getting back to work. It's been over a year since I've taken a vacation. Honestly, I need to do that more. So today's topic, I wanted to talk about something. I think it's becoming a serious problem in our county, in our country, even here in our own community. So that's misinformation on the internet. There's a lot of that going around. Social media has changed the way people get information. Unfortunately, a lot of what people see online isn't carefully researched. Uh, it's just memes, headlines, screenshots, and now AI-generated posts that are designed to provoke emotion. They're designed to uh lie to people, stir people up. They don't tell the truth, folks. For those who may not know what a meme is, it's basically a piece of media, usually a picture with text on it that spreads quickly online. They're often meant to be funny or sarcastic or sarcastic, but many people uh use them to push political messages or accusations. The problem is that a meme can travel around the internet faster than the truth ever can. So people often share them without ever checking if the claim is real. Uh, a famous quote that I really love uh, you know, a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth puts its shoes on. I believe that was attributed to Mark Twain. Um, one example that we see a lot from the political left are memes and photos claiming that Donald Trump is a pedophile, often showing pictures of him with his daughter or making other accusations. The reality is that there's never been any official proof, criminal conviction, or ruling from law enforcement or a court that uh findings that proved that he's a pedophile. People can believe whatever they want, they can absolutely have the First Amendment right to say it, but we should at least acknowledge that when something is uh an actual accusation versus what something has actually been proven versus what something has actually been proven. Here in Grimes Pass, we've seen signs at rallies accusing him of that. And again, people have the right to protest and express their views. I fully support the First Amendment, but I think it's worth asking ourselves whether spreading accusations like that, especially in public places where children see them, is really helping our community or just fueling more anger and division. Um, recently there's been some attacks on uh sorry, Mark, if I mispronounce your last name, Mark Kelsey. I think it's Mark Kelsey. He is the um uh OG scanner guy, and people are bashing him for some criminal record that happened in the 90s. Um Mark and I have have had our differences in the past. In fact, I even made a video about him kind of uh calling him out at one point. Um, you know, but generally speaking, uh the conversations that I've had with Marker, you know, he's uh an ethical person. So talk to the guy. Why don't you just send him a message on Facebook and before you chime in with hatred and violence, uh, you know, and more anger and division. It's just trying to be fair, you know, miser information all this misinformation spreading around, it it it sucks. I don't I don't like it happening to anyone. Um, you know, going back to the political side, there's all this misinformation, and it's on the right side as well. It's not just a problem on the left. So there's plenty of memes and headlines and viral posts that people on our side share that turn out to be inaccurate or completely false. A recent example shows posts claiming that the investigation into the officer-involved shooting of Alex Predy had already concluded and the officer had been cleared. Those posts spread quickly online and caused lots of reactions from people celebrating or arguing about the outcome. The problem is that the information was not accurate. The investigation is still ongoing. The FBI is involved along with the Department of Justice and other authorities. As of now, no final findings have been publicly released. That's a perfect example of what Donald Trump calls fake news. A claim gets posted, people share it immediately and before anyone checks the facts, it spreads everywhere. Uh that's happening constantly on the internet, and it seems to be the trend. And even uh, you know, here in our county, as a result, the the real anger between neighbors, between families, between members of our own community. And you could see it online every day. Sometimes you you can even feel it driving past the courthouse around town. The hostility is real, but we have to remember something important, folks. People that we are arguing with are still human beings, they have families, sons, daughters, parents, and people who care about them. It's easy to forget that when we all we see is a profile picture and and a comment on social media or a sign on the street. My advice to everyone, regardless of what side of the political aisle you're on, is simple. Slow down, verify things yourself. If you see a shocking claim, don't just hit share, go look it up, go directly to the primary sources. Uh, you know, official statements from the FBI, Department of Justice, the White House, or or whatever agency is actually responsible for the investigation. It takes a little extra time and effort, but it's the best way to find out what's actually true. And honestly, that brings peace of mind as well. And I found that myself. Um, you know, so I and I I'm doing that online a lot. I've go to these posts and I'll and I'll see a meme and uh not mostly it's not local posts, but I'll say, no, you know, that's not the facts. Here's the facts, and I point it out. Um, anyway, it's good to be back. Coming weeks, uh, I've got some new interviews lined up. I'm hoping to sit down with our newly appointed Josephine County Commissioners Colleen Martin and Gary Richardson for an introduction interview, uh, so the community can get to know them a little better and hear whatever they'd like to talk about. I also sent an invitation out to Dr. Frank. Uh, we had a uh uh him come to Grants Pass and talk. Many of you might know him. He's a world-renowned physicist, inventor, and uh election integrity researcher. And he's spoken about that. He recently was here in Grants Pass, uh, which I unfortunately missed that because I was on vacation. I think I was scuba diving. I was probably 70 feet underwater. So I'm hoping to bring him on a show for a recap discussion. Um, of those who could not attend, hopefully we can get him on the show. Anyway, coming up here too, also soon, um March 28th is the Patriots Conference here in Josephine County at the Faroe Grounds. I'm gonna put a link below where you can purchase tickets for that. There's a a a number of great speakers scheduled, including Ben Edel, uh Gregory Wrightstone, David Clements, Bill Meyer, Steve Jonkas, Cade Sharp, David Medina, Ed Deal, and Dwayne Younger, among many others. Um, I think there's just gonna be other folks that are there that are not speaking. Um, there's also gonna be a silent auction, and I'm hearing some great gift baskets are being put together. I'm gonna do a little sneak preview on those baskets Monday afternoon to keep an eye out. So uh, you know, watch that video when I post it. Um some of the ladies that are putting together the baskets, they made a funny comment the other day at the PCP meeting and said, you know, hey, we don't want to have to wash the item before we put it in the basket. So please, nice new things only. So hopefully those are gonna be some great baskets. This summer I'm hoping to do a lot more content, more interviews. I'm currently playing a little catch-up with my business after being um gone on vacation for two weeks, but I'm planning to uh record videos whenever I can and whoever you know gets some interviews in, I'd like to branch out, do more conversations with people rather than just uh me sitting here talking. I know you guys are bored in my face. Anyway, until next time, folks, Josephine County Republicans signing out.