# The National Report makes the world a worse place **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 17, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005 "2014-06-17T19:57:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/1 "2014-06-17T19:57:31Z")
I check out [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/) daily to keep up on the latest scams and urban legends. At least several times a week there is one based on an article from the [National Report](http://nationalreport.net/). Having seen this site popping up almost every day there, I finally took a look to see what they were about. This is a “satire” site in only the loosest terms. It takes controversial issues and builds almost-plausible stories around them with no humor. Thus, gullible (usually conservative because of the issues they choose) people believe stupid things about their political opponents and it actively makes this a dumber, more partisan world. Take this article from their front page: [ > [@Ohio Town Seeks to Boost Economy by Enrolling Illegal Immigrants in Welfare](#): > > … > Canton was once a bustling industrial city with over 100,000 residents. In recent years, however, its population has declined as industrial jobs have disappeared. Forbes magazine has described Canton as one of America’s fastest dying cities. This decline has inspired the Canton City Council to come up with a creative solution. Canton will begin recruiting immigrants, legal or illegal, to their city with the promise that the city will assist them in signing up for any Federal welfare programs they may be eligible to receive. They hope these welfare dollars will begin to provide an economic base for their city. > … ]([http://nationalreport.net/ohio-town-recruits-immigrants-welfare-enrollment-assistance/](http://nationalreport.net/ohio-town-recruits-immigrants-welfare-enrollment-assistance/)) So in one article they hit illegal immigrants and (implied) welfare abuse, two hot-button issues for conservatives. The idea is they provoke outrage enough to turn off people’s brains, and those people post it all over facebook and other social media. This generates clicks, and they make their money by sucking intelligence out of the country. Just in case someone might copy and paste without linking back to them, they have their pages set up so copying anything appends this to the end of the copied section: > [@Douchnozzle clickbaiters](#): > > - See more at: [http://nationalreport.net/whatever\_page\_it\_came\_from](http://nationalreport.net/whatever_page_it_came_from) It is as if The Onion and Fox News had a Prom night dumpster baby that spent most of its childhood seeing how long it could keep its head in the plastic bag the Weekly Wold News comes in. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/2 "2014-06-17T20:07:04Z")
They use to have a disclaimer on their site saying that it was satire, but I assume they took this down so that the shit they stir up would last longer before being debunked. And, due to the nature of the internet, it comes back to life over and over again when someone does a search on the topic of the article. The dick in charge has this to say for himself: [ > [@Allen Montgomery](#): > > “It is our opinion that if a person is too lazy to check for multiple references [or at least one other source] … and they spread misinformation around as fact, then they are to blame for their own stupidity, not us,” he said. ](['In God We Trust' to be Removed from U.S. Currency | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/ingodwetrust.asp))Your whole business model is based on them being too lazy to check! Don’t come off as if you didn’t expect this you canker on the ass of journalism. On top of this they try to stir more controversy and keep it alive with fake comments on the articles. At the end of the article I linked to in the OP there are two comments: > [@Rick](#): > > Typical democratic nonsense. Where do they think this money comes from?? Why not invest in creating some actual jobs!? > [@Mike](#): > > Canton is hurting, and this could help. I think it’s great idea. So, an overly credulous moron for you, whichever side of the political spectrum you are on. It is interesting to note that the two comments were made two minutes apart about two hours before the article went online. Assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/3 "2014-06-17T20:18:28Z")
I assume they chose their name so people would mistake it for the National Review. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/4 "2014-06-17T20:26:31Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > I assume they chose their name so people would mistake it for the National Review. Yes, forgot to mention that part. It is not even an attempt at a clever name (like say the Daily Currant), but a pure attempt at deception. Lovely, apparently they have another site, the [Wyoming Institute of Technology](http://witscience.org/) (a fake group). Any article at the National Review mentioning a new technology for chemtrails or how a third of humans now have RFID chips unknowingly implanted in them links to a companion piece there. So, it looks like a reputable piece of journalism reporting on a scientific discovery from a reputable source. Having a separate site made to look like a real research institute to act to make your fake news article look legitimate removes any veneer that you are actually a satire site rather than someone actively trying to deceive the public. It also puts the lie to Montgomery’s quote that people should look at another source. There is the other source which (at first blush) appears totally independent. The only question left is if this is purely people making money off of being spunk-gargling cunt monkeys or if they actually intend a political effect from this anal leakage they seep onto the internet. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/5 "2014-06-17T20:26:43Z")
> [@](#): > > It is as if The Onion and Fox News had a Prom night dumpster baby that spent most of its childhood seeing how long it could keep its head in the plastic bag the Weekly Wold News comes in. Poetry. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/6 "2014-06-17T21:38:03Z")
_The Onion_ is a humor site, and consistently good at what they do. Sites like this and _The Daily Currant_ are pure trollery. Their sole aim seems to be to laugh at the reader, rather than to make the reader laugh. Funny if you happen to work there, I guess, otherwise not so much. The next step in the devolution of “satire” will be purposely inaccurate street maps, fake weather reports and hilarious medical advice websites that recommend fatal home remedies. Because as we all know, nothing in life is funnier or more fulfilling than getting someone to believe something that isn’t true. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/7 "2014-06-17T22:00:29Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > _The Onion_ is a humor site, and consistently good at what they do. Sites like this and _The Daily Currant_ are pure trollery. Their sole aim seems to be to laugh at the reader, rather than to make the reader laugh. Funny if you happen to work there, I guess, otherwise not so much. I had also seen a lot of Daily Currant articles referenced at Snopes, so I checked that one out as well. The Daily Currant is not as well-done as The Onion, but they are at least trying. The two lead articles are now, “Unemployed in France Go On Strike,” and, “Unemployed Gender Studies Major Sues ‘The Patriarchy’”. If people are not getting that that is satire then I think it is the reader’s fault. > [@](#): > > The next step in the devolution of “satire” will be purposely inaccurate street maps, fake weather reports and hilarious medical advice websites that recommend fatal home remedies. Because as we all know, nothing in life is funnier or more fulfilling than getting someone to believe something that isn’t true. The National Report is precisely at that level for politics. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/8 "2014-06-17T22:48:39Z")
> [@flight](#): > > Yes, forgot to mention that part. It is not even an attempt at a clever name (like say the Daily Currant), but a pure attempt at deception. Interesting. > [@](#): > > Lovely, apparently they have another site, the [Wyoming Institute of Technology](http://witscience.org/) (a fake group). Any article at the \*\*National Review \*\*mentioning a new technology for chemtrails or how a third of humans now have RFID chips unknowingly implanted in them links to a companion piece there. So, it looks like a reputable piece of journalism reporting on a scientific discovery from a reputable source. Emphasis added. It works! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/9 "2014-06-17T23:52:09Z")
Since we’re on the subject, has everybody seen [ClickHole](http://www.clickhole.com/), The Onion’s new spinoff site parodying the “From the Web” clickbait and “new media” sites like BuzzFeed. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/10 "2014-06-18T03:07:54Z")
Seems pretty funny to me, and I’m sure 70% of conservatives have the intelligence to realise it’s an hoax. The essence of satire is that it can be read seriously, as distinct from broad comedy which depends on outrageous over-statement and obviously then points and laughs. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/11 "2014-06-18T03:14:50Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Seems pretty funny to me, I think it is funny as hell, but I did dare Mrs. Plant (v.3.0) to send a link to the “Obama removes In God We Trust” article to her very conservative aunt. No word on that, yet. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/12 "2014-06-18T14:56:30Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Interesting. > > Emphasis added. It works! 🙂 See? It’s insidious. > [@Claverhouse](#): > > The essence of satire is that it can be read seriously, as distinct from broad comedy which depends on outrageous over-statement and obviously then points and laughs. But it should have wit and social criticism. This is lacking. > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I think it is funny as hell, but I did dare Mrs. Plant (v.3.0) to send a link to the “Obama removes In God We Trust” article to her very conservative aunt. > No word on that, yet. 🙂 That article lacks wit or humor. It presents a current issue in society as if the somewhat more controversial direction has been taken. It does not explore that in an interesting manner, or with irony. It does not make social commentary. It just presents the initial first reaction that relevant parties would obviously have. It’s lazy clickbaiting. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/13 "2014-06-18T15:02:01Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Since we’re on the subject, has everybody seen [ClickHole](http://www.clickhole.com/), The Onion’s new spinoff site parodying the “From the Web” clickbait and “new media” sites like BuzzFeed. Thanks. I liked the “which character from Mad Men are you” quiz because I could tell which direction it was going to go and it nailed it spot on. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/14 "2014-06-18T15:12:17Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Thanks. I liked the “which character from Mad Men are you” quiz because I could tell which direction it was going to go and it nailed it spot on. That was great. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/15 "2014-06-18T18:11:00Z")
I too think the _National Report_ is idiotic and (mostly) not funny, but it’s really no more egregious than the supermarket tabloids, if more politically-oriented. Certainly if I see that title, or anything attributed to the “Wyoming Institute of Technology”, I can rest assured that it’s bullshit. With that said, I believe there was a Pit thread a few weeks back in which the OP got suckered into assuming a _NR_ piece was legit, but I can’t seem to find it at the moment. As for clickbait sites, gah, what a tragic waste of bandwidth. BTW, what’s up with the Weather Channel being one of the worst offenders lately? Hint to whatever yo-yo’s manage their site: I don’t give a rat’s ass what the fifty creepiest places in the world are. What’s the local weather? ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/16 "2014-06-18T19:16:59Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I too think the _National Report_ is idiotic and (mostly) not funny, but it’s really no more egregious than the supermarket tabloids, if more politically-oriented. OK, that is like saying, “Sure, Pol Pot may have killed two million of his own people, but he’s no Hitler.” I think we may wish to set the bar a little higher. At least it is generally (god, I hope) understood that the tabloids make their stories up out of whole cloth for the most part. I would hate if the only way we can prevent people from being taken in by the National Report is that they become famous enough that everyone knows their schtick. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/17 "2014-06-18T19:35:36Z")
I find it funny as hell. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/18 "2014-06-18T20:25:41Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Since we’re on the subject, has everybody seen [ClickHole](http://www.clickhole.com/), The Onion’s new spinoff site parodying the “From the Web” clickbait and “new media” sites like BuzzFeed. That article on weight loss got the first real belly laugh out of me in quite a while. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/19 "2014-06-18T20:33:24Z")
> [@flight](#): > > OK, that is like saying, “Sure, Pol Pot may have killed two million of his own people, but he’s no Hitler.” I think we may wish to set the bar a little higher. At least it is generally (god, I hope) understood that the tabloids make their stories up out of whole cloth for the most part. Well, how is it that this is generally understood? It’s not like the tabloids print, “Hey, folks we’re making this crap up as we go along” in every issue. Most people figure it out pretty quickly, some never do. I’m actually sort of hoping some prominent right-wing nutbag quotes a _NR_ piece at some point, and gets called out on it. Now that would be funny. The other thing the _National Report_ reminds me of is a more formalized version of E-mail glurge. It’s usually pretty easy for someone to sniff out the bullshit in such cases: anonymous original author; vague or inconsistent dates/times/places; vague references to primary sources that can’t be verified; and so on. The worst thing _NR_ does, in my view, is to have actually ginned up a web site for this fictional “Wyoming Institute of Technology” to fake up a source for some of their pieces. Even there, if one gets as far as the WIoT “Jobs” page, I think even the dimmest bulb could figure out it’s a put-on. Anyway, these mooks aren’t remotely comparable to Pol Pot; two million bruised egos, maybe, but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005/20 "2014-06-18T21:50:15Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Well, how is it that this is generally understood? It’s not like the tabloids print, “Hey, folks we’re making this crap up as we go along” in every issue. They print things like, [“Aliens Found in Hedge Fund Leader’s Brain”](http://weeklyworldnews.com/aliens/66200/aliens-found-in-hedge-fund-leaders-brain/). That is about as close to saying, “Hey, folks we’re making this crap up as we go along,” as you can get. > [@](#): > > I’m actually sort of hoping some prominent right-wing nutbag quotes a _NR_ piece at some point, and gets called out on it. Now that would be funny. That [ship](http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/10/05/fox-falls-for-fake-story-about-obama-personally/196304) has sailed. > [@](#): > > The other thing the _National Report_ reminds me of is a more formalized version of E-mail glurge. It’s usually pretty easy for someone to sniff out the bullshit in such cases: anonymous original author; vague or inconsistent dates/times/places; vague references to primary sources that can’t be verified; and so on. The worst thing _NR_ does, in my view, is to have actually ginned up a web site for this fictional “Wyoming Institute of Technology” to fake up a source for some of their pieces. Even there, if one gets as far as the WIoT “Jobs” page, I think even the dimmest bulb could figure out it’s a put-on. The authors are named with a brief and impressive sounding bio. They nail down times and places solidly whenever possible, and while they obviously cannot link to the specifics of the subject unless they go to their own fake technology institute, they add a lot of links to the other TV stations or news outlets that “discovered” the story. Of course they just link to the front page. When possible they link to real stories, as the story about[legalizing marijuana in Indiana](http://nationalreport.net/indiana-senate-announces-bill-legalize-marijuana-hemp-production/) does to a story about Eric Holder saying the fed would not go after growers in Washington and Colorado. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-report-makes-the-world-a-worse-place/691005.md?page=2)