What is Fake News?

By Olivia Chatowsky

In today’s testy political climate, it is practically impossible to avoid hearing the term “fake news” usually in the context of an accusation towards another group. However, fake news is present everywhere, even when we might not realize what it is.

Discussed in UNESCO’s video on author Julie Posetti’s “Journalism, ‘Fake News’ & Disinformation”, fake news is not so far off from the dreaded chain mail we all know and love, where a ridiculous, clearly false article is sent from one victim to the rest of their contact list, unaware of the effect they cause, spreading disinformation like wildfire.

We’ve all heard the term, but just what exactly is fake news? According to Journalism, ‘Fake News’ and Disinformation, Posetti defines it in better terms such as disinformation or misinformation, information that is not true, and ends up deceiving people, creating confusion and debate. This news spreads quickly among the masses but it was not intended to cause a stir, but the sharer was fooled by the information and unknowingly passed on ‘fake news’. Another term used in the video is mal-information, with which the original author seeks to deliberately anger the readers, sparking outrage and frustration. Both types of news differ still from propaganda since this type of message aims to call out wrongdoings with a particular group or situation, typically with a political motive. Disinformation and mal-information, while different in intent, both essentially confuse people and spread rumors and lies (2018).

Since fake news spreads so quickly and reaches many, it seems rather obvious that social media and new technology would be the culprit of such rapid outreach, the emergence of online journalism causing a bit of trouble. Author Bob Wyss mentions in Covering the Environment How Journalists Work the Green Beat, technology has certainly caused a disruption in journalism, with backpack journalism becoming an expectation that young journalists will be able to simultaneously use a wide range of skill when reporting a story as opposed to a specialist who would historically focus on one aspect such as photography (196, 2019). Wyss also highlights the how online journalism has put many newsrooms and newspapers out of business, unable to keep up with their rapid and free access counterparts, ultimately leading to a reduced quality of journalism (Wyss 2019, 197).

Social media is undoubtedly a great way to engage all of the general public in important discussions, giving a platform for opinions and thoughts, yet the catch is that the more people involved, the less verification skill there are. Clearly not everyone is a trained journalist who can identify fact from fiction. Wyss points out how miscommunication results from social media platforms who present great amounts of information with questionable reliability (Wyss 2019, 200). Posetti points out a similar issue in the video discussing fake news, especially in relation to how certain groups are targeted.

Women are most notably affected by disinformation, specifically female journalists, often portrayed as porn stars or other means to discredit their validation as writers (Posetti 2018). Social media is an easy way to spread lies and start an uproar to discredit a specific person or group using the masquerade of a screen. It is therefore crucial to somehow regulate the spread of online hate without infringing the right of free speech.

Discussed in an article by Tobias Rose-Stockwell “How to Design Better Social Media”, there are ways to design platforms for people to share that encourage society to think about the implications of their posts. Rose-Stockwell emphasizes that the posts that succeed at capturing attention are often offensive since it is in human nature to observe conflict and choose a side without really knowing much about the topic at hand (Rose-Stockwell 2018).

However, with more thoughtful social media design, there are ways to minimize fake news or disinformation such as new features that recognize offensive or emotional phrases and offer a chance to edit or undo a post, or even keep the post private except for select viewers (Rose-Stockwell 2018).

In an age of quick developing technology and easy miscommunications leading to hurt feelings and rage, continuing to educate the public and also further developing social media may help reduce the confusion while continuing to be a great landscape for crowd sourcing the important stories of the world. Having as many perspectives as possible can certainly lead to more truth and exposure since there is always more than one side to a story.

Sources:

Rose-Stockwell, T. 2018. How to Design Better Social Media.

UNESCO [Dir.] 2018. Journalism, ‘Fake News’ and Disinformation: A Handbook for Journalism Education and Training. UNESCO 2018. Facebook Live.

Wyss, B. 2019. Covering the Environment How Journalists Work the Green Beat. 2^nd Edition. Routledge, New York, NY, USA.