What is fake news? Is it news that our siloed society chooses to believe even if it is entirely beyond any reasonable logic. Two great examples are President Trump must be an alien in disguise or a Russian mole. An oldie still going around is government black helicopters are plucking people from their homes and depositing them in the Montana concentration camps!

This type of story comes out of those rags at supermarket checkout lines. Reasonable people laugh at such absurdities but too many believe them When they see the talking heads on Fox News or MSNBC taking a news item and twisting it around to suit what their primary audience wants to believe, is it fake news? It may not be completely true the first time it is discussed, but a few hours later the script has devolved to more fiction than fact.

In spite of common sense, people believe what they read on the internet and social media. Some of the posts are completely outrageous but agree with what a segment of our siloed society wants to believe. People, not just Americans, are susceptible to the stories put out by people who have an agenda. All but one American knows the Russians had a huge influence in the last Presidential election. Their inference is still going on with divisive fake news. RT News is the overt arm of Russian propaganda. Their covert internet and social media groups expand the divisive ideas or start them so RT can report them as news. Division, not unity is Putin’s goal. It is the goal of many Americans, too.

How does a person avoid fake news? Stay away from obvious fake sites and stories. Read things outside your silo to learn things you might not like. Avoid non-journalistic talking heads catering to your silo and preventing you from a real understanding. Read opinions you don’t agree with to see what others think. Above all, watch and read mainstream media’s news. Remember, a measure of intelligence is how well we perceive reality!