Fake News

By JOURDYNN COOPER

            In today’s media, we often hear ‘fake news’ to describe certain news outlets. These news outlets lose a certain amount of credibility when people in power discredit their stories as fake news.

            Alas, the term ‘fake news’ contradicts itself. As Julie Posetti says, in her interview about her book “Journalism, ‘Fake News’ and Disinformation: A Handbook for Journalism Education and Training”, “news is about verifiable information, if it’s news it can’t be fake” (5:34). If we take into account the way the term ‘fake news’ is being used in our society, people are using the term to discredit news outlets they do not agree with. This becomes a larger problem when people with political power and/or wealth put their opinions into the picture, causing news outlets and journalists themselves to lose their credibility with a certain part of the population. ‘Fake news’ is weaponized by people to erode the trust of the public and for those in power (public leaders) to avoid accountability of the news stories that are being written about them (11:20).

            Social media is a large proponent in how much of the population receives its news nowadays. While it has its positives for us, such as platforms for people to share and the speed at which things can be shared, can also be a negative weapon against us. If we use the example of a certain female journalist, social media was used against her to share a fake pornographic video of her, which was used to discredit her as a journalist, and her work (12:30). ‘Fake news’ is more about discrediting journalists and their news stories than about disinformation. While disinformation is often spread and it is a problem within our everyday lives, fake news targets news outlets and journalists. They may use different forms of untrue information to attack said targets, but the discrediting is one of the main problems with fake news. Many news sources work hard to make sure the stories they release honest and informative. NPR has a journalism handbook that ensures the accuracy, fairness, completeness, honesty, independence, impartiality, accountability, and respect of each news piece (NPR). Credible news sources will ensure that their stories do not involve falsehoods, making the term ‘fake news’ obsolete. While there will always be mistakes and false information spread, hopefully our society will move away from attacking news sources who post news that people do not want to agree with.

Sources:        

“These Are the Standards of Our Journalism.” NPR, NPR, 11 Feb. 2019.

“Journalism, ‘Fake News’ and Disinformation: A Handbook for Journalism Education and Training.” UNESCO.