Some people like to say that information is power. While that may seem like a cliche, it is a loaded statement. Information triggers judgements from those who process what is in front of them, and part of that judgement entails whether or not they believe the information.
The audience likes to believe things. If an article states something in a factual manner, than the reader may associate the statement with being an indisputable fact. This is dangerous, as just because something looks factual doesn’t mean that it is, and the internet does not only cater to the truth.
“Fake News” is a term that has grown in popularity within recent years, and is mostly looked at in a anger-inducing light. While fake news in a huge problem, the term is too broad for it’s own good. A better way to define fake news is by labeling news as either misinformation or disinformation.
Misinformation is news that is false but may not have been meant to intentionally mislead while disinformation is news that is intentionally meant to mislead. This difference defines the malicious aspects of fake news, as misinformation could be an honest mistake while disinformation is always intentional.
A tweet from President Trump calling out fake news. Trump has recently come under fire himself for tweeting out not factual information and had several tweets censored. (NurPhoto—NurPhoto/Getty Images)
Now that we have the definitions out of the way, it is important to discuss how to combat it. In many regards, this responsibility revolves around social networking websites. Most respected websites are able to decipher fake news from real news, and thus the misinformation does not reach the masses. Those who spread disinformation tend to gain their traction through social media. Recently, these sites, namely Twitter, have made strides to eliminating disinformation, mostly through censorship. Articles and other information deemed to be “not factual” has either been withheld from Twitter or simply just giving a warning label.
This is a step in the right direction, and increasing this practice is vital. The current threat that people will flock to websites that do not censor factually inaccurate information is lacking necessary depth since actively searching for fake news will not gain them credibility. In other words, this is a non-starter.
An angry Facebook user calling out an article they probably found on the social media network. (Thomas Trutschel/Getty)
While the social media sites are attempting to make amends for these issues, do they deserve blame for the relevancy of fake news? Yes and no. They provided a forum that allows for mis- and disinformation to be spread, but the websites were not designed to be news outlets. They were designed to allow for their users to express themselves and share thoughts with each other. If someone decides to take something they see on social media as 100 percent factual without any other research, then that is more a measure of their own character and carelessness than the websites responsibility.
So how do we, as users combat the issue of fake news? We need to portray strong character and make judgements based on research and not just speculation. For journalists, this means research and preparedness, and for users this means developing the ability to scrutinize and promoting critical thinking.