We have all heard the phrase “fake news” being thrown around, sometimes reflecting a genuine issue with falsified information, sometimes an attempt to discredit legitimate news sources. It is important to be able to analyse the problem accurately.
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What is fake news?
Fake news refers to deliberately false information published/broadcast as though it is true and newsworthy. It has been a concept since the 1800’s, but has become particularly salient in recent years, having been popularised by Donald Trump when criticising his political and media opponents. If you study a journalism degree at somewhere like https://schoolofjournalism.co.uk/, you will need to be aware of fake news.
How has fake news spread?
Polling suggests that increasing numbers of people distrust the news. The internet and social media make it much easier to create fake stories and have them go viral before rebuttals can be published. People spread fake news for clicks and attention, and to try and influence the mindsets of others. It became a particular concern during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ways to spot fake news
You should always approach news with a critical eye. Check who wrote/published it and if it has verifiable sources. Do not just look at the text, but also any potentially fake images, and also consider possible omissions of relevant information, including whether quotes have been taken out of context.
There is no doubt that fake news has increased, and its damaging impact is magnified by the difficulty in separating it from true reporting. It is important to be critical in how you consume media.
Summary
This article looks at the scale of the fake news problem. It defines fake news as deliberately false information presented as genuine, tracing the term back to the 1800s though it became more prominent through Donald Trump’s use of it against political opponents. It explains that social media has made fake stories spread faster, and advises checking sources and context to spot it.
Questions this article raises
- How do you tell genuinely fake news apart from just biased reporting?
- Has fake news actually measurably influenced any real election outcomes?
- What responsibility do social media platforms have for stopping fake news spreading?
