Badger's Law
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Badger's Law states that the content of any website which contains the word "truth" in its name or URL contains anything but that. The law states:
“”Websites with the word "Truth" in the URL have none in the posted content.
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In practice, this means that websites with this word in their name and/or URL can be considered webshites. Citing such webshites as a credible source is in turn a violation of Scopie's Law. WorldTruth.TV is a prime example of this.
Contents
Origins[edit]
The law was named in April 2016 on Facebook by the admin of the page "Genetically Modified Humans for Monsanto"[1] and has since quickly been taken over by other pro-science pages.[2][3]
Extension[edit]
Badger's Law also seems to apply in the cases of certain other words:
- Variations and derivations of the word "truth", as in Rick Wiles' TRUNEWS.com.
- "Natural", as in NaturalNews.com
- "Freedom" and "liberty", as in the American Freedom Coalition or Liberty Counsel
Prevalence in the clogosphere[edit]
A scan of the questionable sources presented at Media Bias/Fact Check reveals many examples of Badger's Law. These webshites are all noted for extremist viewpoints and employ a full range of tactics typical of extremism: clickbait headlines, hate speech, lack of transparency, pseudoscience, political propaganda, conspiracy theories, and fake news. Examples include:
- American Truth Today: A hyper-partisan extreme right conservative webshite that completely lacks transparency. Appears to be a personal blog run by someone named Jim Hayek.[4]
- Americans For Truth about Homosexuality: A far-right extremist webshite that "seeks to apply the same single-minded determination to opposing the radical homosexual agenda and standing for God-ordained sexuality and the natural family as countless homosexual groups do in promoting their harmful agenda."[5]
- Blunt Force Truth: A blog hosted by long-time game show host Chuck Woolery. Extreme far-right bias, promotion of propaganda and conspiracy theories, republishes news from other hyper-partisan conservative sources.[6]
- Grain of Truth: A far-right conservative news and opinion blog based somewhere in Canada. This webshite completely lacks transparency as there isn’t an about page, authors are not named and ownership is not disclosed.[7]
- Stone Cold Truth: Roger Stone's personal blog. Content is poorly sourced, marginally factual, and oozes conspiracy theories.[8]
- The Truth Voice: An extreme-right anti-Islam webshite, part of a network of webshites that all publish negative stories toward Islam and attempt to paint a picture of Muslims as murderous and violent.[9]
- Truth and Action: An extreme right wing webshite that caters content to preppers, gun nuts, and survivalists with healthy doses of conspiracy theories and pseudoscience.[10]
- Truth Examiner: A far-left sensationalized "news" and opinion webshite full of clickbait headlines and poorly sourced information. Now offline.[11]
- Truth in Media: A webshite owned by American television personality Benjamin Swann, that specializes in pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. Promoted the Sandy Hook and Pizzagate conspiracies, and spread false information related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
- Truth Social: The social media site by Donald Trump that crumbled badly when it launched in February 2022.[13] If it ends up anything like every single thing Donald Trump has ever done, it's safe to say that it won't contain much truth.
- Truth Uncensored: An extreme far-right webshite featuring clickbait headlines, propaganda, and regurgitating crap from other questionable sources. Earned a misleading claim from Snopes.[14]
Examples of Badger's Law have a big presence in alternative media. One can easily spin the dial of a shortwave radio and come across such examples as:
- Beacon of Truth: Evangelistic religious organization with a large footprint on shortwave radio.[15]
- Herald of Truth: Thinly veiled white supremacy screeds masquerading as Christian religious content.[16]
- Radio Free Truth: A pretentious blowhard foisting his fundamentalist viewpoints onto the airwaves.[17]
- Stairway Truth: An obscure preacher from Tennessee.
- Table of Truth: "Brother Ben" presents a weird take on oddball religious fundamentalism. Seems to be weirdly fixated on Brother Stair.[18]
- Truth, Light, and Life: An "international" ministry using radio to bore the hell out of people.[19]
Possible exceptions[edit]
Note that Badger's Law has exceptions; in particular, it does not apply recursively (for example, "example.com/blog/my-experience-with-foobartruth-dot-org" is probably an acceptable primary source about "foobartruth.org"). It applies less strongly when the URL is in the form of a question ("example.com/blog/is-frank-telling-the-truth-about-his-encounter-with-mr-badger"), as many such cases fall under the scope of Betteridge's law.
See also[edit]
Exceptions to the rule[edit]
More seriously, there are actually some exceptions to the rule.
- The Truth About Guns (except their pro-gun position).[20]
- Exposing the Truth (in spite of their silly name no different from several conspiracy websites). [21]
- The Elkhart Truth.[22]
- Citizen Truth.[23]
- Truthdig.[24]
- Truth Initiative (U.S. anti-tobacco advocacy charity) (Truth Initiative
)
References[edit]
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/GenMods4Monsanto/photos/a.348632358621103.1073741828.348578411959831/628851123932557/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/therealcrediblehulk/photos/a.892787380752581.1073741828.892778157420170/1162959590402024/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/You.keep.using/photos/a.421150881298641.102335.415508481862881/1021569427923447/
- ↑ American Truth Today, Media Bias Fact Check, 23 February 2020.
- ↑ Americans for Truth (AFTAH), Media Bias Fact Check, 4 February 2020.
- ↑ Blunt Force Truth, Media Bias Fact Check, 8 June 2021.
- ↑ Grain of Truth, Media Bias Fact Check, 5 October 2020.
- ↑ Stone Cold Truth, Media Bias Fact Check, 21 August 2020.
- ↑ The Truth Voice, Media Bias Fact Check, 19 May 2021.
- ↑ Truth and Action, Media Bias Fact Check, 26 September 2020.
- ↑ Truth Examiner, Media Bias Fact Check, 16 November 2020.
- ↑ Truth In Media, Media Bias Fact Check, 22 April 2021.
- ↑ Drew Harwell, Trump’s Truth Social’s disastrous launch raises doubts about its long-term viability. The Washington Post, 22 February 2022.
- ↑ Truth Uncensored, Media Bias Fact Check, 16 November 2020.
- ↑ Radio broadcast schedule, Beacon of Truth Ministries International.
- ↑ Kingdom Identity Minsitries, Southern Poverty Law Center.
- ↑ Glenn Hauser's DX Listening Digest, 6-081, June 1, 2006.
- ↑ Table of Truth Ministries, Brother Ben. thenetteam.net.
- ↑ About, Truth, Light & Life Ministries International.
- ↑ https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-truth-about-guns/
- ↑ https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/exposing-the-truth/
- ↑ https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-elkhart-truth/
- ↑ https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/citizen-truth/
- ↑ https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/truthdig/