Fake news: Anonymously sourced social media as the basis for news reports

Fake news: Anonymously sourced social media as the basis for news reports

This “news” report is based on an anonymously authored social media account:

While the American media and leaders in Washington, D.C., wonder if Vladimir Putin’s government played dirty tricks to get Donald Trump elected, rich Russian youngsters have better things to worry about.
Like expensive cars, bubble baths, jewelry, private jets — and showing it off on social media for the world to see.
An anonymous Instagram account called RichRussianKids is still providing glimpses of the opulent lifestyle of “minigarchs,” or offspring of Russia’s wealthy elite.

Source: ‘Rich Russian Kids’ on Instagram shows wealth of spoiled youngsters – SFGate
The SFGate’s story is based on quoting a report in the Daily Mail, which in turn, is sourced to an anonymous social media account. Which may be intended as a satire.
Face palm moment.
The very definition of “FAKE NEWS”. Pointless story, based on anonymous posts on social media. On the web site “front page” of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The highly pejorative title of ‘”Rich Russian Kids” on Instagram shows wealth of spoiled youngsters” is loaded with assertive commentary.
Many “news reports” are now based on social media posts, especially from Twitter and Facebook. Assume you are reading a fake news report when the report is based on anonymous social media posts.
There is no formal definition of fake news. The news media would like you to believe that “fake news” is any news-like report that originates from a source other than one of the top, long time big media companies.
(The photo on the featured image for this post is a screen capture of a Facebook post allegedly showing a US Air Force pilot ejecting from a USAF Thunderbird aircraft after a crash in the summer of 2016. The photo was actually from 2003.)

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