Jordan Peele and BuzzFeed have teamed up to produce a PSA that warns the public about what some are already dubbing a “fake news apocalypse”— the idea that technology is making it easier than ever to create and disseminate misinformation and propaganda online.
In the video, former president Barack Obama appears to be delivering an important message about fake news – but it quickly becomes clear that something is not quite right.
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“We’re entering an era in which our enemies can make it look like anyone is saying anything at any point in time – even if they would never say those things,” said Obama. “So, for instance, they could have me say things like, I don’t know, (Black Panther’s) Killmonger was right! Or, Ben Carson is in the sunken place! Or, how ’bout this – simply, President Trump is a total and complete dipsh*t.”
Anyone who knows #44 knows he would never say something like this – at least not in public – and it is soon revealed that it is Peele – quite flawlessly – performing his infamous Obama impression over a digitally manipulated video.
Warning: This video contains graphic language
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“This is a dangerous time,” continues the Get Out director who wrote the PSA. “Moving forward, we need to be more vigilant with what we trust from the internet. It’s a time when we need to rely on trusted news sources. It may be basic but how we move forward in the Age of Information is gonna be the difference between whether we survive or whether we become some kind of f***ed-up dystopia.”
“Stay woke, b**ches,” warns Peele still speaking as Obama.
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While “fake news” has become a catchphrase that we often utter dismissively, this clip serves as a sobering reminder that the resurgence of rampant political propaganda has returned.
Before you share news, videos, or anything viral off the internet online – take a second to double check where the source’s information is coming from and if it are even a real news organization.
Otherwise you will unwittingly become part of the problem.