BS: Propaganda Pay$

Subject: BS: Propaganda Pays
From: GUEST,ghost
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 11:38 AM

Trolling for Putin: Russia's information war explained By Marina Koreneva
Saint Petersburg (AFP)- Lyudmila Savchuk says it was money that wooed her into the ranks of the Kremlin's online army, where she bombarded website comment pages with eulogies of President Vladimir Putin, while mocking his adversaries.
"Putin is great," "Ukrainians are Fascists," "Europe is decadent": Savchuk, 34, listed the main messages she was told to put out on Internet forums after responding to a job advertisement online.
Our job was to write in a pro-government way, to interpret all events in a way that glorifies the government's politics and Putin personally," she said.
Performing her duties as an Internet "troll", Savchuk kept up several blogs on the popular Russian platform LiveJournal, juggling the virtual identities of a housewife, a student and an athlete.
While the blogs themselves would be filled with apolitical content about life in Russia, she was paid to use the account identities to comment on other news sites and online discussions, leaving 100 comments on an average day.
Every morning, she says, she would get assignments for the day, a list of subjects on which to comment and ideas to propagate.
"Ukraine has approved a reform plan to secure IMF aid" was the title of one recent assignment that Lyudmila had kept on her cellphone.
The instructions were for her to respond to the potentially positive Ukrainian news story with negative comments, such as "For the Ukrainian government, military needs are more important than those of the people."
Savchuk spent two months as a cyber-warrior, or what fans of news comment sections call "trolls", because they join to provoke or to spread propaganda, ruining what would usually be exchanges of opinion in good faith.
She said she worked in a nondescript grey building on Savushkin Street in a busy neighbourhood in the north of the city of Saint Petersburg before quitting in March.
Her short job interview was conducted by a man who only gave his first name, Oleg. His first question was: "What do you think of our policy in Ukraine?"
"Like many others, I was seduced by their salary," said Savchuk, who is raising two children. Her monthly pay was 40,000 to 50,000 rubles ($700-870), considered good money in Russia's second largest city.
The online onslaught of identical, often abusive Internet comments discrediting Russia's opponents, and especially the United States, while hailing the Russian government, began even before Russia's standoff with Ukraine.
A journalist with Novaya Gazeta opposition newspaper visited the Saint Petersburg agency in 2013 undercover and reported there were about 400 employees based out of a small building on the outskirts of the city.
Since then many Russian newspapers, and even foreign-language outlets that cover Russian events, have been forced to close comments sections because of the trolling torrent.
Local media reported that the operation moved to the larger, new four-storey building in October.
Now the Kremlin trolling centre's focus is the conflict in Ukraine, and it has reportedly added departments for people with foreign language skills and those able to Photoshop images.
Prospective trolls initially respond to employment opportunities on popular websites, where seemingly innocuous jobs titled "editor" or "content manager" are posted by an entity calling itself an agency for Internet studies.
AFP found job ads as recently as March 17 asking candidates to send a CV through a website. An automated reply then promises to contact the applicant in the future............. More here

prop·a·gan·da
"derogatory information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view."
"Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist."
"Information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc."

Subject: RE: BS: Propaganda Pay$
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 12:08 PM

So it turns out they're not so different from us after all.

Except of course that our "journalists" are paid far more for spreading government propaganda while pretending to be independent investigative reporters.

But then ours are much better at it. You might be able to find an American to do it for $700-870 a month, but it would have to be an uneducated homeless person, and their work would be as crude as Lyudmila's and would stand out like a sore thumb next to the work of network anchors with their huge support staffs and their 7-figure salaries.

Subject: RE: BS: Propaganda Pay$
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 12:21 PM

"So it turns out they're not so different from us after all."
No reason they should be - like God, they're "on our side" now
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Propaganda Pay$
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 12:22 PM

Now, your post is a very good example of
such work, Guest!

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Propaganda Pay$
From: GUEST,#
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 01:43 PM

Various parties in Canada employ trolls to 'change the political conversation or spin' on news sites. Such is the internet.

Subject: RE: BS: Propaganda Pay$
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 05:00 PM

Yes, it's the same in the US.

In fact, the definition of "troll" on US web sites is "someone who doesn't think exactly the same as me and my friends."

Fortunately, there are few enough such people that they can easily be ignored, especially as they are always lost in the flood of posts by right-thinkers.

Subject: RE: BS: Propaganda Pay$
From: Greg F.
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 05:17 PM

Ya mean the flood of posts by right-WINGERS, dontcha?

Subject: RE: BS: Propaganda Pay$
From: GUEST,#
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 05:31 PM

Well, here it depends on what one says and who does or doesn't like it. The terms left-wing and right-wing get tossed around but no one answers when challenged to explain/define the terms. We live in a vibrant world.

Subject: RE: BS: Propaganda Pay$
From: Greg F.
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 05:50 PM

but no one answers when challenged to explain/define the terms

Oh yes? You apparently live in a confused world. Or perhaps a pre-literate one.

Subject: RE: BS: Propaganda Pay$
From: gnu
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 07:21 PM

"Various parties in Canada employ trolls to 'change the political conversation or spin' on news sites. Such is the internet."

One just got axed on a FB politics thread about NB.ca. Took me posting every now and then (in my usual fashion for those that know such) for near the whole day. Few others joined in but in the end... banned from the page. Now, does that sound like I am tooting my own horn? I don't think so. I think it sounds like rallying for standing up to a bully. Fuck propaganda in all it's forms. Rail against it! Don't let up for a minute. It's far too important.

Subject: RE: BS: Propaganda Pay$
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 07:21 PM

Left wing, right wing - extreme versions of either have caused the deaths of many.

Subject: RE: BS: Propaganda Pay$
From: GUEST,ghost
Date: 05 Apr 15 - 08:31 PM

The lesson to be learned here is that you have to apply your own logic to what you you see and hear. Each person must think independently and critically to determine what is the truth.
Just assuming that whatever so and so says and what such and such publishes is the truth is not a reliable way to determine the truth.
Likewise assuming that whatever certain other people or organizations present is always a lie is not the way to go either.

You really can't trust anybody but yourself and your own reasoning.

For example there are reportedly Facebook posts and tweets from Iran that the recently announced deal is not what was reported by the US.

How do you know it is officials from Iran? It could be officials in Iran trying to muddy the water. It could be Israelis. It could be Russians. It could be 12 year olds having "fun". It could be American Iranians who don't want the deal. It could be anybody for any purpose.

You have to exercise your own judgement independently or you may be on the wrong track.
Think for yourself and do not blindly follow the mob.
I myself would love peace in the world.