Last Line of Defense

{{Internet}}
The '''Last Line of Defense''' (full name: '''America’s Last Line of Defense''', formerly '''The Resistance: The Last Line of Defense''' until 21 March 2017<ref>{{cite web|title=Summary of thelastlineofdefense.org|publisher=Internet Archive (The Wayback Machine)|url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://thelastlineofdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/cropped-llod-site-header-2.jpg|accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref>) is a hybrid American [[satire|satirical]]/[[fake news]] website, although your perception may depend on how much you know about the website. According to a combination of sources, America’s Last Line of Defense was founded by Christopher Blair around February 2016.<ref name="punditfact">{{cite web|last=Gillin|first=Joshua|title=If you're fooled by fake news, this man probably wrote it|publisher=PunditFact (Tampa Bay Times)|date=31 May 2017|url=http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2017/may/31/If-youre-fooled-by-fake-news-this-man-probably-wro/
|accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="nonsense">{{cite web|last=Charles|first=Craig|title=TheLastLineOfDefense.org is a spoof political website|publisher=That’s Nonsense|date=21 March 2017|url=http://www.thatsnonsense.com/thelastlineofdefense-org-spoof-political-website/
|accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Resistance: The Last Line of Defense|publisher=America's Last Line of Defense|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211071511/http://thelastlineofdefense.org:80/|accessdate=11 February 2016}}</ref>

==Description==
The “official” description claims that the Last Line of Defense website was created by “God-fearing Christian conservative patriots” who were “tired of [[Barack Obama|Obama]]’s [[Fun:Obamunism|tyrannical reign]]”.<ref name="about">{{cite web|title=About Us|publisher=America's Last Line of Defense|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170530171515/http://thelastlineofdefense.org/about-us/|accessdate=30 May 2017}}</ref>

According to Christopher Blair for ''PunditFact'', he designed the Last Line of Defense to “fool conservatives with fake stories most people would find absurd”:<ref name="punditfact"/> the disclaimer on Last Line of Defense itself (as of 30 May 2017), described themselves as a satirical website that self-described liberal supporters created to expose the “extreme [[bigotry]] and hate” and “blind gullibility” of right-wing activists, particularly [[conspiracy theorists]].<ref name="about"/> ''Media Bias/Fact Check'' classifies the Last Line of Defense as ‘Satire’ because of the disclaimer.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Resistance: The Last Line of Defense|publisher=Media Bias/Fact Check|url=https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-resistance-the-last-line-of-defense/|accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref>

According to the UK-based ''That’s Nonsense'' fact checking website, most of the fake/spoof stories on the Last Line of Defense deliberately “attack” liberal beliefs, including the [[Democrat Party|Democrat Party]] of the United States, in an attempt to trick right-wing readers into believing and sharing them.<ref name="nonsense"/> Fake/spoof authors on the Last Line of Defense include “Stryker” (Striker) and “Busta Troll” (Bust a [[Troll]]).<ref name="punditfact"/>

==Examples of headlines==
:''Sampled on 8 June 2017''<ref name="homepage">{{cite web|title=America's Last Line of Defense|publisher=America's Last Line of Defense|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608090617/http://thelastlineofdefense.org/|accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref>

* “BREAKING: Trump Fires Jeff Sessions For Connection To Espionage”
* “Feds Set To Charge Cory Booker With International Crimes Against Humanity”
* “BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules On Travel Ban”
* “Trump Just Raided HIS OWN EPA And Proved Hes The Smartest President Of All Time”
* “Monica Lewinski Death Hoax Was A Very Small Part Of A Globalist Agenda”

==Reception and response==

Generally, many of the Last Line of Defense’s fabricated articles appear so realistic that people from all corners of [[political spectrum]] have unwittingly fallen for the fabricated stories, without considering the Last Line of Defense’s claimed satirical purpose. By the end of May 2017, [[Snopes]] had debunked at least 34 articles that involved the Last Line of Defense.<ref>{{cite web|title=Articles tagged ‘The Last Line of Defense’|publisher=Snopes|url=http://www.snopes.com/tag/the-last-line-of-defense/|accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Articles tagged ‘Last Line of Defense’|publisher=Snopes|url=http://www.snopes.com/tag/last-line-of-defense/|accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref>

In response to the concerns, the Last Line of Defense gradually introduced further measures to clarify their true purpose, including adding an {{wpl|Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB}}-like “Satire” icon at the footer.<ref name="homepage"/>

However, a number of fact checking sites have recently taken a tougher line against the Last Line of Defense. Since 9 January 2018, Snopes accused the website of spreading fabricated articles “under the guise of dealing with satire”.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mikkelson|first=David|title=Police Don't Find Fake Democratic Congressman’s Non-Existent Meth Lab|date=9 January 2018|publisher=Snopes|url=https://www.snopes.com/tennessee-rep-meth-lab/|accessdate=22 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Articles tagged ‘Last Line of Defense’|publisher=Snopes|url=http://www.snopes.com/tag/last-line-of-defense/|accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref> According to ''That’s Nonsense'' on 21 March 2017, the Last Line of Defense is well-known to the fact-checking media, because many of its fake/spoof stories go viral on [[social media]].<ref name="nonsense"/>

==External links==
* {{unref|http://thelastlineofdefense.org/|The website itself||}}

==References==
{{reflist|3}}
[[Category:Fake news]]

Categories: Fake news