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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
AS IT IS 2015-11-28 Russian News Media Fakes Stories About US 俄罗斯媒体发布关于美国的假新闻
Did you know the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, John Tefft, once gave a press conference on the moon?
And at center-ice of a hockey game?
And with General Douglas MacArthur when the general landed in the Philippines during World War II?
Well, of course, he was not in any of those places. Tefft was born in 1949, well after World War II ended.
But the U.S. Embassy in Russia tweeted out those fake photos with the help of a computer program. It did that in response to the Russians using the same tricks.
The first fake news came in September.
A local Russian news channel said Teftt attended a demonstration1 of anti-Russian government activists2. It layered a photo of Teftt over an image of the anti-government demonstration.
So the U.S. Embassy responded in good humor.
The Embassy took a photo of Teftt at a press conference and layered it on top of several backgrounds. Then the Embassy posted it on Twitter.
There’s one of Teftt giving a press conference during the moon landing.
Another has him at a Russian hockey game.
And a third places him at the airport with MacArthur, the famous World War II general.
This kind of photo “mash-up” can be Internet fun. Remember when McKayla Maroney, the American gymnast, missed out on a gold medal at the London Olympics? After she received her silver medal, she made a face showing her dissatisfaction with the result.
That photo gained a life of its own, and was mashed-up with Maroney looking unhappy with works of art, at the Great Wall of China and at meetings with celebrities3.
All were funny because the same photo of Maroney was used over and over in different settings.
When she met President Obama a few weeks after the Olympics, the duo posed for a photo while making the unhappy face.
Photo mash-ups are used all over the Internet.
But, US officials say, in Russia, such mash-ups are used to create propaganda.
Benjamin Ziff is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. He told a Senate foreign relations subcommittee that Russian propaganda reaches 600 million people. And it costs $1.4 billion per year to produce.
Ziff said that helping4 local communities develop a rich, uncensored media environment would be a good tool against the mash-ups.
Ziff said there is no reason to try to combat every instance of Russian propaganda. But, he said, in the case of Ambassador Tefft, it made a point.
The social media activity was noted5 by reputable news outlets7 in the United States and Russia. The website Buzzfeed wrote a story headlined “This Is The Best Photoshop The U.S. Government Has Ever Produced.”
Words in This Story
fake – adj. not true or real?
celebrity8 - n. a person who is famous
uncensored - adj. of or relating to freedom of the press; removal of restrictions9
combat – v. to try to stop (something) from happening or getting worse
instance - n. example
reputable - adj. respected or trusted
1 demonstration | |
n.表明,示范,论证,示威 | |
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2 activists | |
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 ) | |
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3 celebrities | |
n.(尤指娱乐界的)名人( celebrity的名词复数 );名流;名声;名誉 | |
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4 helping | |
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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5 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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6 outlet | |
n.出口/路;销路;批发商店;通风口;发泄 | |
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7 outlets | |
n.出口( outlet的名词复数 );经销店;插座;廉价经销店 | |
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8 celebrity | |
n.名人,名流;著名,名声,名望 | |
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9 restrictions | |
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则) | |
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