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mahatmakanejeeves

(68,089 posts)
Sun Dec 28, 2025, 10:52 AM Sunday

Breaking news: Internet erupts as Hillary Clinton confesses: "I am the mother of an extraterrestrial love child." [View all]

Last edited Sun Dec 28, 2025, 10:26 PM - Edit history (6)


Source: https://imgflip.com/i/51bvvc

DU is getting to be a hotbed of things that never happened. It's not enough that DUers are beginning to post AI-generated deepfake videos. Worse, DU is being overrun with stories invented by the odious clickbait site Rawstory about a few influencers tweeting back and forth. Rawstory treats this as an earthshaking event, and online it goes.

For examples of the "Internet erupts" theme at DU, see: https://duckduckgo.com/?sites=democraticunderground.com&q=internet+erupts&ia=web

Sun Dec 28, 2025: 'Weird': Internet erupts after Karoline Leavitt's apparent admission of pregnancy faux pas
Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/karoline-leavitt-2674832565/

Mon Dec 22, 2025: 'Astonishing': Internet erupts after canned '60 Minutes' segment leaked
https://www.rawstory.com/60-minutes-2674823138/

Mon Dec 22, 2025: 'Going full North Korean': Internet erupts after Trump's new battleship announcement
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-battleships-2674822990/

Sun Nov 23, 2025: Internet erupts as MAGA influencers exposed for being based in other countries
Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/maga-foreign-tie-exposed/

Under no circumstances does this constitute news. It never happened that "the internet erupted" upon the occurrence of any of these underlying events. On the bright side, at least it's not a story Rawstory stole from someone else and pretended was one of its own.

Please, may we ban:
1) the use of "Internet erupts ..." in a headline at DU? This should be enforced in particular in Late Breaking News.
2) citing Rawstory as the source of a story in Late Breaking News?
3) pretending that Rawstory is anything other a clickbait site unworthy of trust? If Rawstory said that my mom loved me, I'd find a second source to verify that claim.

I will allow one exception:

Entire planet erupts in joyous celebration at the death of Donald Trump.

That, I'll be fine with.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.
74 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
How to recognize clickbait in addition to the source... jmbar2 Sunday #1
I see "melt down" a lot. Sneederbunk Sunday #4
Good one jmbar2 Sunday #5
another good one jmbar2 Sunday #15
I regulate my YouTube search algorithm by banning those words, but unfortunately TheRickles Sunday #6
I've banned meidas touch specifically because of their clickbait titles. Lucky Luciano Sunday #18
Thanks. I rarely bother with Meidas Touch. . . . h2ebits Sunday #41
No need to watch FOX news when Meidas is there to do it daily. The guys is obsessed Bengus81 17 hrs ago #71
if you're using clickbait tactics .... you're well on the way to being .... Umm, clickbait? .. -(nt)- stopdiggin Sunday #25
Add "I'm crying ..." relayerbob Sunday #8
BOMBSHELL! Ptah Sunday #10
That's a big one! jmbar2 Sunday #12
Right? If Republicans, say, were DESTROYED, then... Beartracks Sunday #29
Checkmate! JoseBalow Sunday #35
and I think SCantiGOP Sunday #60
"ANNIHILATES" is both exaggerated and overused. nt eppur_se_muova Sunday #61
good one - added jmbar2 Sunday #66
And if they try to blame Hillary Clinton for any of it. calimary Sunday #67
Add to that list videos that feature tendentious headlines Ocelot II Sunday #2
It's tiresome. Infuriating. And the most absolute crass self-promotion stopdiggin Sunday #27
I heartly agree with you. I got busted for calling the lip shot post stupid. Things are not right. Srkdqltr Sunday #3
Agreed. China and Russia must be destroyed hundreds of NewHendoLib Sunday #7
It sounds good in theory EarlG Sunday #9
"But... you're essentially asking for a ban on hyperbole." mahatmakanejeeves Sunday #13
My head literally exploded too EarlG Sunday #24
Well, I guess we'll have to add DU to the list of "aggregators" erronis Sunday #26
No need to ban jmbar2 Sunday #16
I agree. It's our responsibility as DUers. yardwork Sunday #20
Agreed, as long as it is sufficiently humiliating. LudwigPastorius Sunday #34
How about giving users an option to auto-ignore posts with containing videos? Orrex Sunday #17
Especially those with no summary QED Sunday #31
Except those from The Dodo QED Sunday #40
Funnily enough, exceptions are part of the problem EarlG Sunday #52
You're saying AI couldn't handle that ?? We still need actual PEOPLE ?? eppur_se_muova Sunday #62
I understand the problem. But, at the very least, a video post needs a synopsis. QED Sunday #63
The only way I can think of to handle this would be EarlG Sunday #65
Agree with the "in theory" comment... OddMom20 Sunday #43
The Internet is definitely more trash-filled than it used to be EarlG Sunday #51
As far as Raw Story goes.... reACTIONary Yesterday #70
Stop posting comments from unknown people just because they are on someone's site or pod question everything Sunday #11
I remember liking Rawstory over 20 years ago PatSeg Sunday #14
It's embarrassing. yardwork Sunday #19
I seem to get news from RawStory faster than from the original sources, Jack Valentino Sunday #21
being 'left' does not erase, or counterweight, transgression stopdiggin Sunday #39
'transgression' ??? Pfffft Jack Valentino Sunday #42
the 'transgression' is in the (deliberate) crap clickbait methodology stopdiggin Sunday #53
Yeah, I understand 'annoyance'--- personally I'm most annoyed by Jack Valentino Sunday #54
Oh, 100%, definitely! Take 20 seconds out of your precious day! Give me a REASON .. ! stopdiggin Sunday #55
Thank you my friend - I have personally trashed these silly videos FakeNoose Sunday #22
That's what works for me. I'm entirely intolerant of news and opinion videos... hunter 15 hrs ago #74
You are so right. YouTube is becoming a cesspool infullview Sunday #23
"CALL CONGRESS RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!!!" milestogo Sunday #28
"mahatmakanejeeves DESTROYS clickbait posters in BRUTAL TAKEDOWN!!" LudwigPastorius Sunday #30
You win jmbar2 Sunday #33
best post (and thread) of the day ... and the next ... and quite possibly ... - -(nt)- stopdiggin Sunday #32
Your issue is with rawstory. Those are their headlines. Scrivener7 Sunday #36
(and Hillary's extra-terrestrial love child will ONE DAY be elected President of the U.S., Jack Valentino Sunday #37
You think maybe it's Freepers or MAGAs registering nd then posting misinfo to make DU look like another nutjob site? ChicagoTeamster Sunday #38
I don't think that's the case EarlG Sunday #44
Now, for the REST of the stories. usonian Sunday #45
Those are hilarious! MorbidButterflyTat Sunday #64
Is this the Weekly World News? Zelda_Orchid Sunday #46
Some posters are more interested in generating clickbait headlines than providing relevant and useful infiormation. Martin68 Sunday #47
A face and a shocking headline. BidenRocks Sunday #48
Another give away is to look at the video length. Good reports are in the 5 to max 10 minute range. flashman13 Sunday #49
There was a time Jilly_in_VA Sunday #50
I tried to say this last week here snowybirdie Sunday #56
When browsing the Videos forum I automatically skip the ones with big yellow letters. TygrBright Sunday #57
BREAKING!!! Initech Sunday #58
As a gentle suggestion, since I am not going to give myself a headache niyad Sunday #59
Thank you, mahatmakanejeeves A_Steel_Magnolia Sunday #68
Clickbait is easy to identify and ignore. Aussie105 Sunday #69
I love this post!! onenote 15 hrs ago #72
No matter what some folks say above DownriverDem 15 hrs ago #73
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