The stepping stone to mainstream media
How do hundreds of fake news stories in obscure newsoutlets in India and Pakistan (many of them including disclaimers that they are paid placements) eventually make their way into manistream media such as the WSJ and the FT? They need a stepping-stone, a bridge if you will. In my case, the bridge was a former WSJ journalist who today runs his own blog. He picked up the story — and from there the story made its way into the hands of one of his fromer colleagues at the WSJ.