Debunking False Information on the Internet

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while

the truth is putting on its shoes.” ~ Mark Twain

SIGH. Is anyone else annoyed having to perpetually debunk false info on Twitter and the Internet? Twain said the above quote never anticipating technology. Here's the timeline related to a blogger's "article" about the now thrice-cancelled (alleged) rape case against Donald Trump:

Left-wing blogger "proudlib," posted an article (and I use that term loosely) on 11/26/16 with a false headline about the now-dropped (alleged) rape case against defendant Donald Trump. 

The blogger, apparently not big on fact-checking or proofreading, calls Trump a "dependent." Unlike legitimate journalists, he/she also hides behind a lowercase moniker rather than using his/her real name.

"proudlib" claims to be sharing "newly released" sworn testimony.

•  Newly released? NO. The sworn testimony is lifted directly from an affidavit filed 6/20/16 (from the 2nd filing) which has been readily available all over the Internet since June. Once filed in Court, it became a public document.

A guy on Twitter with the handle of @MrDane1982 shared the blogger's article and presented it as fact and implied the rape case is back on. (It's not.)

• Here's how it works in the legal system. If the victim were to file again (which would be her 4th filing), she'd have to file a New Complaint. Since "Jane Doe" withdrew the 3rd Complaint, that case is now considered "dismissed." The Plaintiff/victim filed a "Notice of Voluntary Dismissal" on 11/4/16. That means the case is done. Closed. No upcoming hearings or status conferences. Finito.

• If the victim chooses to re-file, it becomes a new case with an entirely new docket number issued by the filing clerk. As it stands, there's been no new filing. 
• Any pending court dates on the Judge's calendar are removed once a Complaint is withdrawn and dismissed. Therefore, the previously calendared 12/16 status conference related to Complaint #3 is cancelled. By the way, that Status Conference would've been procedural, i.e. both sides appear and let the Court know if they're ready to proceed to trial, hence the word, "status." However, since the Complaint was withdrawn, it's moot. Dismissal = no Status Conference. Capiche?

Here's where the plot thickens. Celebrity @DebraMessing not only re-tweeted the blogger's article, but falsely tweeted that the 12/16 status conference is still happening, and falsely announced that its purpose is for the Judge to meet with both parties to discuss why the case was dropped, due to alleged death threats against the Plaintiff/victim.

The illogic of Messing's inference is troubling. If the case has been dropped/withdrawn, the Judge wouldn't call a hearing. Let me repeat, there's no upcoming hearing. And it certainly wouldn't be announced via an article by some left-wing blogger. There'd be coverage by credible Media.

A close reading of the blogger's article reveals no such mention that the now-cancelled 12/16 conference was to discuss alleged death threats. That leap was taken by Messing all on her own. Then she chose to tweet it rather than making sure she had her facts straight. And thus it was re-tweeted by her fans who somehow assumed that because she's a celebrity she's more credible than, say, actual news sources? Their misguided idolatry rapidly disseminated misinformation on a global scale via Twitter.

Based on this, it appears Messing has little to no understanding of the legal process. Her tweet was irresponsible and reckless.

I called @MrDane1982 out on this. He tweeted that I'm the idiot because I didn't "read" the article. However, it appears I'm the only person who did read it without making false inferences. Both he and Messing inferred that the mention of 12/16 was proof of a new hearing, and made matters worse by tweeting that false information.

As stated above -- No. The 12/16 status conference was the date a hearing would have occurred, if the case were still ongoing. However, the case was announced as dropped by plaintiff's attorney, @LisaBloom. Look at the image above: "Voluntary Dismissal."

So who are you going to believe? 

A: An anonymous blogger, some guy on Twitter, and a TV celeb
B: The facts as announced by the attorney on the case, and as proven by court documents

Don't you think if this case were re-opened, it would be mentioned somewhere other than one left-wing blog? 

I've said it before, but I guess it bears repeating... TWEET RESPONSIBLY when it comes to sharing links and "news." It doesn't take that much time to vet a story. 

Update: Since writing this post, I'm seeing more and more people re-tweeting Messing's bad info. And I got a nasty tweet from a Messing fan yelling at me that he'll tweet ANYTHING about Trump, regardless of whether it's true. That simply isn't responsible behavior and is exactly what got our country into this mess, with Trump's supporters believing and regurgitating everything he said... IN SPITE OF THE TRUTH.

Perhaps Mark Twain would urge us to put on our shoes faster.