Fun on Friday: When Is Fake News Fake News?

Did you know that Snopes has fact-checked the Babylon Bee on multiple occasions? True story. In the obsession to root out “fake news,” fact-checking sites have resorted to fact-checking satire and parody articles.

Apparently, some people actually believe satire articles are true. If you’ve ever watched people trying to operate a Walmart U-scan on a Saturday afternoon, this comes as no surprise. Still, it seems odd that a legit organization dedicated to fact-checking news would waste time with the Babylon Bee. I mean, really? The name and cheesy graphics are enough of a giveaway.

I don’t know. Maybe the people determining what is and isn’t fake news are fake news.

Look, the way I see it, if people are dumb enough to believe Walmart is really going to discontinue auto parts sales to help lower traffic fatalities, then I don’t think a Snopes fact-check is going to help them.

Anyway, apparently, the fake news thing isn’t isolated to America. I found a fact-check on a dancing video over at India Today.

There’s this viral video of employees dancing inside a jewelry store.

Numerous people have recently posted this video with captions like, “Gold Rs 40,000. No Customers…so employees time pass.”

Unlike Babylon Bee stories, this is at least feasible. Gold has hit record levels in rupees in recent weeks. This has put a damper on consumer demand for gold jewelry in India. So, there actually are a lot fewer customers in Indian jewelry stores.

But that has nothing to do with this video. It’s actually about a year old – so filmed long before this major gold bull run in India. According to the India Today fact-check:

The office of Manohar Lal Jewellers confirmed to us over the phone that the viral video was indeed shot in their office. But the claim made about the video, that employees are dancing to pass time because there was no customer to buy gold, is completely wrong. According to them, this is a regular custom in every Manohar Lal store to start the business of the day joyfully by dancing and singing.”

Good work India Today! I feel much better knowing this.

By the way, if you try to share the video on Facebook, you’ll get a message.

So, if you share this – even if only because you think Indian people dancing in a jewelry store is cute – you may have your Facebook reach quashed. One has to wonder if sharing Babylon Bee stories will lead to the same result.

Meanwhile, mainstream news sites continue to parrot President Trump’s claims that he’s created the best economy in the history of America. Talk about fake news. If you want that fact-checked, you’ll need to follow us here at SchiffGold.

So, what’s the lesson here?

Well, this is Fun on Friday. I’m not sure there is a lesson. But if you really want one, maybe it’s just that fake news might be fake news.

One thing that isn’t fake news is that gold has reached record highs in India. Gold is also now at all-time highs in every major G10 currency except the US dollar and Swiss franc, and it’s nearly at an all-time high in Chinese yuan. If you want some straight talk on gold, call a SchiffGold precious metals specialist today at 1-888-GOLD-160. No fake news there. And no dancing. At least I don’ think there’s dancing.

Fun on Friday is a weekly SchiffGold feature. We dig up some of the off-the-wall and off-beat stories relating to precious metals and share them with you – with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Click here to read other posts in this series.