Does it bother you that HubPages allows biased and unproven political propaganda

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   aexbushposted 12 years ago

   Does it bother you that HubPages allows biased and unproven political propaganda?
   
   While I am a new writer on HubPages, I have been writing extensively online for several years. Within one day of joining HubPages, I noticed a number of biased (based on opinion, not facts) political propaganda articles which were about the President of the United States. I did flag and report the author (unnamed and anonymous profile, no photo) and specific examples, but this has not yet resulted in their removal. Not sure what else I can do, but I am honestly concerned about the impact on the reputation of HubPages if I am going to have a long and prosperous involvement here.
   
   

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   KK Trainorposted 12 years ago

   Why would it bother you that people have opinions different than yours? That's called freedom of speech, and I would be surprised if Hubpages removed such writing. Try writing your own opinionated and biased Hubs and maybe you'll feel better about things.

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      Traci21posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I was wondering the same thing.

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   darklandposted 12 years ago

   I also write outside these pages and have to document everything I think and say, that's just part of writing.  I write here as a release and a place to express my opinion.  I think it's healthy to hear other peoples views and to discuss points other than my own.
   This site will also give you an idea of what your audience thinks and considers important. This information is invaluable to any serious writer.  Hub Pages gives you unparallelled freedom to test projects and samples of your work and get feedback in multiple ways.  Don't discount it too quickly.

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   MickSposted 12 years ago

   Are you trying to imply that some policical propaganda is unbiased and true?

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      aexbushposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      No matter whether a statement is unbiased and true or biased and false, I was asking for viewpoints about whether HubPages was an appropriate setting for anonymous and undocumented claims.

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      Old Empresarioposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I say it is an appropriate setting.

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   junksellerposted 12 years ago

   This isn't a journalism or academic site. There aren't any requirements at all for rigorous research or sourcing of information. Nor are there any requirements for entry. There are, however, a variety of feedback methods (flagging, voting, commenting) which hopefully allows quality material to rise to the top and poor material to sink and essentially disappear. How well that works would be a worthwhile exploration.
   
   You see the problem you mention a lot, and it goes well beyond politics. It is a big problem with scientific articles as well. There is, however, a lot of very good content here and personally I think it would be good to have more people around who will demand greater accountability.
   
   As for reputation, it depends what you mean. if you actually mean reputation, than yes it probably does a little. If you are concerned about traffic, than I would say not necessarily. Propaganda can do just fine in terms of popularity and traffic.

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      aexbushposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Junkseller, you have provided a particularly thoughtful, practical and well-balanced observation.

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   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   Doesn't it come under the heading of free speech? There is a lot of news out there written and on TV that is much the same...lots of opinion but no facts.  That's what makes the world go 'round, lot of different opinions.
   
   Called op-ed, isn't it?

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   BobMongerposted 12 years ago

   I, too, have gotten miffed at some of the drivel that occasionally shows up on Hub Pages. I suppose it just goes to show the old saying "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing" to be all too true. The authors of such nonsense would argue the 1st Amendment and they do have a point of sorts there; not as pronounced as the one on top of their empty heads, but a point none the less. Ah, well, to paraphrase Pharoh, "...let them rave that men may know them mad." We move on.

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   Old Empresarioposted 12 years ago

   I would not worry about the reputation of Hubpages. It is not a forum for scholarly works or political opinions based on documented sources. Nor does it pretend to be anything of the sort. It is simply a place for people to write and express their first amendment rights, which has nothing to do with being forced to tell facts. A very popular children's novel was published a few years ago about President Abraham Lincoln being a vampire slayer. I'm pretty sure that was not true either.

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      aexbushposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Of course, the vampire slayer example was truthfully marketed as "fiction". Fiction is OK! Some of the examples I referred to would be more truthful if they were also labelled as "fiction" rather than purporting to be factual.

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      Old Empresarioposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I want to agree with you. Can you tell me which essay about the presidents is was to which you refer so I can see it? It wasn't one of mine was it?

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      aexbushposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Old Empresario, the articles referred to were not yours. It does not seem appropriate to identify specific Hubs here, especially since I was asking the question in general terms rather than trying to critique one Hub or another in a public forum.

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   SportsBetterposted 12 years ago

   You should be worrying about the Government propaganda and not some blogger on HubPages.

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      KK Trainorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I wish I could vote you up twice!

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      darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      very good point

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    Kathleen Cochranposted 12 years ago

    HubPages is an equal opportunity opinion site, good, bad and/or ugly.  We pretty much self-regulate with our comments and followings.  The forums can get really hot and heavy.  And there are some one-note writers who have more than beaten a dead horse.  They've blugeoned the more creature about six-feet underground!  My best advice:  read somebody else.

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       aexbushposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       You had me at "equal opportunity". Very well-stated. I also think that "self-regulate" is a worthy philosophy to be guiding the process.

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    whonunuwhoposted 12 years ago

    Yes, but let's face it, politics is biased by its very nature. A thin line divides the truth from fiction, and sometimes quite a lot more evident. Hub pages seems to give everyone a chance to express themselves, no matter how extreme or sometimes misguided in their motives. We are all just human and not without flaws in our opinions and philosophy of life. There are still limits to what can be posted on Hub Pages, however, I myself have had some material removed and because it was my own opinion and contrary or provocative in its makeup. Politics controls us all, and in the political world, in which we all must be a part..

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       darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       very true, often we have to wait for the rhetoric to become history to get the full picture

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    chef-de-jourposted 12 years ago

    It's a very thin line between political fact and propaganda, often measured by how far left or right an individual is. It could be argued that all political fact is propaganda because how on earth can it be verified - from the Great House Of All Political Statistics and Wisdom?
    HubPages is the least qualified of all sites to objectively measure 'fact' as it allows individuals to express their opinions, a wondrous concept don't you think?
    If you think a writer is abusing the system - degrading the site - you have a right to flag - as we all have - but you'd be better off either ignoring what you consider is propaganda or entering into the debate!
    What you can't do is silence the voice behind an opinion. That's the road to totalitarianism.

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    Attikosposted 12 years ago

    aexbush: You mention only propaganda published here directed against the President of the United States, but I see more of it directed against his political competition. It would be nice were there to be none, but there after all is an election underway, and those are fought out today using money and political poison pushers on sites such as Hub Pages. As writers, we all should know how to identify and reject it. I would oppose any attempt to ask that the management censor content. Let's do our jobs rather than expect a control system to handle it for us. When we see blatant propaganda, let's criticize it, when necessary ridicule it, but let's not attempt to suppress it lest our own comments be suppressed in return.
    
    Gore Vidal: "As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it. Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests."
    
    It's up to us who write to combat that pervasive social corruption. Hub Pages is as good a place as any to start doing it.

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       pagesvoiceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I totally agree with everything you you mentioned in your answer. Great response.

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       darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       here! here! Well said

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       Scolionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I like that quote.

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       aexbushposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you for your insight. Won't we miss Gore Vidal? It certainly is sad that a common result is individuals voting against their own interests.

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    edmob1posted 12 years ago

    When i first joined I had a similar concerns on both politics and religion espicially plus a couple of other interests. After my first year I removed my interests and just dip into the forums on on a whim to have a look whats going on. The arguements in the main have not improved but as they are no follow now they are presented to me when first logging in.

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       KK Trainorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, the religious forums can be quite infuriating so I just have to stay away. The politics are the same everywhere and if one can't stand the hate it's best to tread lightly or risk getting pummeled! It is amazing the things people will say though.

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    nextstopjupiterposted 12 years ago

    You call it biased propaganda, you also may call it manipulation. The whole internet is full of such manipulation, not only on HubPages. But you have the choice, to read it or not ..., to spread it or not.

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    IDONOposted 12 years ago

    Welcome new guy. You may be new here, but obviously you weren't born yesterday. You knew how to get responses right off the bat. I'm on to you.
         Have you ever watched MSNBC or CNN or FOX NEWS? And you are concerned about political bias on Hubpages? Those are people that are putting this stuff out for the world to see and hear professionally. They can sway public opinion about anything in a heartbeat. We are just a bunch of people, on a web sight, voicing our opinions, venting if you will, to a bunch of people that can respond if they choose to. They can agree or disagree. Or agree to disagree. You can't do that on those news networks I mentioned above. And even bigger, we are all anonymous. This is one of the few places anyone can be truly honest with their opinion without any ramifications. How great is that?

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       aexbushposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks (I think) for giving me credit for asking a provocative question just to get responses. Actually I was hoping to learn more about my new neighbors! Thank you for the welcome.

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       darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Right on IDONO, it was the most sincere form of flattery, I'm sure aexbush.  provocative question but almost everyone feels the same.  We aren't going to change the world in our little corner here but we can start the wheels turning or not

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