41 Died While Police Watch Fake News? Wait, What?
Okay, so, like, I’m seeing headlines pop up ALL OVER THE PLACE. And honestly, it’s hard to know what’s real anymore. I mean, you see this [Police Watch —-As fake news – notícias falsas em português – têm dado o que falar ultimamente. Boatos, mentiras e difamações sempre existiram. São práticas que acompanham as sociedades .] mixed in with [Toronto cop dies while executing search warrant] and even [Boris Johnson’s farewell speech as UK prime minister – BBC News]?! Makes your head spin, right?
And then the big one: “41 Died While Police Watch Fake News.” Seriously?! Like, are we talking about a *literal* situation where cops were, like, scrolling through Facebook while people were, um, kicking the bucket? Or is this some kinda metaphorical, deep-thinker kinda headline? ‘Cause honestly, with the way things are going, both seem equally plausible.
The thing is, fake news… it’s a cancer, man. You see [AMERICA SHINES WITH AUBREY SHINES] right next to [Toronto police officer collapsed, later died —- Fake bomb threat targets homes of insurance executive killed in NYC: Police ) — Two residences owned by the family of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson were .] and it’s like… where is the truth?! I mean, how can you trust anything when it’s all jumbled together, trying to trick you?
Like, that bit about the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s family and a fake bomb threat? Terrifying! But then you get some influencer pushing some miracle cure for, idk, the common cold, and suddenly, everyone’s a doctor! And what does this have to do with the original headline? I don’t even know anymore!
And don’t even get me started on bodycam footage. [Our police body camera channel is filled with a range of topics that will pique your interest, including transparency, accountability, community engagement, trust-building, law enforcement .] Okay, transparency is great and all, but is it *really* helping us understand what’s going on? Or is it just more fuel for the fire? More snippets of information taken completely out of context? I mean, [Police in Southern California released body camera footage after a 17-year-old driver was killed during a freeway traffic . Teen who died had pointed fake gun at police, officer’s bodycam .] See! Out of context.
I’m not even sure what the point of all this is. Maybe it’s just a rant. But honestly, the state of information is a mess. Are the police complicit because they’re not actively fighting fake news? Are we all complicit for sharing stuff without checking it? (Guilty as charged, sometimes, ngl.)
So, did 41 people *actually* die because police were too busy looking at fake news? I honestly don’t know based on the info I have. Maybe. Maybe not. But the fact that the question even exists? That’s the problem.
