Why would someone make this?

I got home yesterday to find my partner puzzling over this Rachel Maddow clip he had just been sent by a friend.

By all means watch it to spot the odd eye movements (amongst other things), but the gist of this fake is that Mark Carney was in Washington yesterday morning to discuss Canada’s free trade agreement. According to the video, the Wankmaggot tried to pull a fast one with costly last minute changes, but instead of meekly signing without protest, Carney got up, walked out and flew back to Ottawa.

There are a lot of Canadians (myself and my partner included) who would just love to see Carney do this – and to hell with the consequences. Just get up, tell the Wankmaggot to go fuck himself and walk out. Yay, Carney! Yay, Canada!

So, when I walked in and he told me what this clearly somewhat dodgy (what is with her eyes?) video claimed, the first thing I did was check CBC news. The big story being covered was the tragic mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge. Quite right, but… If Carney had been heading to Washington to discuss free trade, we’d have known about it. And if he really had walked out on the Wankmaggot, I’m sorry, but Tumbler Ridge would not be the lead story.

Check the CBC website. Nope. Check the Guardian website. Nope. Check the New York Times website. Nope. Nada. Nothing.

So why? There’s a script that had to be written. Time that has to be spent. I know AI can do almost anything these days, but why put this fake video together? Cui bono?

Apparently it’s not the first time someone (who?) has used Maddow to deliver fake news about Canada.

This is Tod Maffin breaking down that older fake (there are those weird looking-left eyes again) and offering his theory about why.

Well, if that’s true, I guess using Maddow makes sense, because she represents everything a certain segment of the US population absolutely hates.

But, come on, it really would it be great if Carney did that, wouldn’t it? Which is why the fake exploded on social media and why my partner’s friend got all excited about it. Oh, well.

If you want a tutorial on spotting AI videos, here you go.