‘Fake news’ is a term thought to be coined by Donald Trump, but his political opponent, Hillary Clinton, used the word prior to him (Wendling). It is basically false reporting that usually finds its place on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. There is no fact-checking or judgement from editorial staff, and any person can create and publish it without a track record or news reputation. Even without the fame or reputation, individuals who publish fake news can reach as many people as major news media channels if their news attracts enough attention (Allcott & Gentzkow 211).
Fake news became a household term during the 2016 election campaign. A town in Macedonia was making money based on Facebook advertising because of their fake news stories. One of the most famous ‘fake news’ stories was that the pope had endorsed now President Donald J. Trump for the presidency. One Buzzfeed editor found over 140 fake news websites during the election (Wendling). Many people believe President Trump would not have been elected had it not been for fake news (Allcott & Gentzkow 212).
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"Fake News Essay".
There are dangers to fake news. It can be entertaining, and many fake news sites are satirical sites that the average reader mistakes for true news. However, other sites pose as real news organizations and use names that resemble the top news organizations. Other sites provide a mix of real and fake news but put a partisan slant on all content (Allcott & Gentzkow 217). The result is the injury of reduced credibility among news sites that are credible. People no longer know if they should trust news from any source, and there is a general distrust of all news (Wendling). In 1997, a Gallup poll showed that 53 percent of Americans trusted the news. In 2016, that dropped to 32 percent. It is no wonder that distrust is growing, as most young people get their news from social media (West).
The action of producing fake news is incentivized by the market and public interest. In a world where click-through-rates equate to money, getting the juiciest story out there results in wealth regardless of whether it is true or not. As in the case of Macedonia, the city gained significant wealth by producing numerous election fake news stories that would appeal to Americans despite having little interest in the election (Wendling). Future fake news activity has already been reduced, as social media sites are beginning to monitor content published on their sites for accuracy. Market pressure from consumers and society who want fake news eliminated could motivate websites to eliminate fake news and opt for more credible sources (Wendling). Basically, society allowed fake news to happen, and society is going to have to stop it.
In my own life, I use social media, and I am sure that I have seen and possibly believed fake news. Like many others, I have grown distrustful of all news media sources because even large news agencies are accused of producing news that is slanted to give them an edge for monetary purposes. I believe this takes away an essential role of news media, which is to provide unbiased information to perpetuate the democratic process. Without trustworthy news, how can one know what to believe in order to pick a government leader or vote on a bill? I hope that in the future, harsher penalties will be served for those who create and publish fake news, but I realize that many perpetrators are international, so jurisdictions get in the way of progress. Until then, I will try to fact check all news sources because there are not any that I am able to believe without a high level of scrutiny at this point.
- Allcott, Hunt and Matthew Gentzkow. “Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 211-236, 2017, https://web.stanford.edu
- Wendling, Mike. “The Almost Complete History of ‘Fake News.” BBC News, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-42724320. Accessed 09 April 2018.
- West, Darrell. “How to Combat Fake News and Disinformation.” Brookings, 18 Dec 2017, https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-to-combat-fake-news-and-disinformation/. Accessed 09 April 2018.
