What is Satire, what is misrepresentation?

I'm seeing more and more sites on the net now that are producing stories very close to the mark - stories that take big issues and write about them in ways which damage, hurt, or misrepresent, what the story is about.

We've probably all seen The Onion, one of the most popular satire sites on the net. They are an example of how to do it right. They take big issues and parody them, they have fun at their expense, they satirise them. When you read one of their articles it's pretty easy to realise that you're not reading an actual, factual, news page. They highlight the big issues and bring them to your attention in a way that only the most obtuse could mistake for news.

Then you get others, like The Stately Harold. This site does not mention it is a satire site. It tries its best to look like a real news site. There is almost nothing in the 'About' except the letter from the 'editor' claiming dyslexia and deliberately misspelt. There is nothing on the 'Contact' page but a 'write your message here' box - no details of the company, no address either postal or email, no phone number, nothing.

Then you go to some of their stories, such as the recent one about ANZAC Day. They headline it with a picture showing a typical ANZAC scene with medallion on the left and a young girls photo on the right. She is introduced as the '20yo feminist writer, Cassidy Boon'. The article is purporting to be this womans feminist rant against ANZAC Day and how sexist it is. Nothing in the article suggests it's satire. Nothing in it is done with the intent of making you laugh, or poking fun, or parodying things. It's written just as if the young woman in the picture really did write it.

Except that the '20yo feminist writer, Cassidy Boon' is actually a profile pic stolen from a 13 year olds Twitter profile from a few years ago. Cassidy Boon does not now, and never has, existed as this 'feminist writer'. All over Australia though, there are people who are losing their shit over how this 'feminist writer' has attacked one of the most widely beloved and respected traditions of Australia. There are hate groups against her. There are people shouting about why THIS is why we should 'get rid of the Feminazis'.

This is not satire. This is deliberate misrepresentation designed to cause anger, hatred, disgust, and they have provided the picture of a SCHOOLGIRL to be the focus of that anger, hatred and disgust.

This is the same method the right-wing fascist parties are using on Facebook - use something that will get an immediate kneejerk emotional response and slant it to attack the groups they are against.

All I can say is, Check your sources. If you see something that immediately gets you angry, step back and think before posting. Is it true? Is is verifiable? Is is from an actual satire site? Is it in the major news networks? If you're still raging after those checks, then you will at least know you have good reason, and a strong argument in your favour for any doubters!