FAKE NEWS
‘A lie told often enough becomes the truth’ (Vladimir Lenin). Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. Most people identify fake news with Donald Trump, as he used the term widely to challenge mass media coverage of his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump ran as much against the ‘fake news’ of the New York Times and CNN as against Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. Trump took advantage of the distrust of many voters towards institutions and large corporations and insisted that the main goal of these organisations was to discredit his political campaign and lie about him. The end of the story was Donald Trump’s massive victory in the 2016 election.
By news we mean something like the truth, the real facts about the world. News can be false, of course. But we would like to believe that untrue in this case really means an error, a mistake that in some sense can always be corrected. News suggests truth or commitment to truth. If they are faithful to their job, journalists always try to get their stories right; intentional falsification of news results in professional suicide. In the climate of a free democracy where news is one of the main characteristics of the system, the world faces a problem. Accurate news is vital to democracy and the explosive growth of fake news is seen by many as a threat.
With the popularity of the new digital age and social media (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc.), fake news has literally invaded every sphere of life. The increased use of social media has made it possible for information – whether true, unclear, equivocal or simply false – to reach masses of people in a very short time. Fake news can be difficult to control for several reasons: many people do not believe established news sources and others simply do not take the time or trouble to read them. Consequently, proving that a fake news story is untrue by a serious newspaper or television channel has a very limited effect. Moreover, any website is very difficult to keep in check.
Do not copy literally from the text. (1 punto por respuesta = 4 puntos)
1. Why is fake news linked to Donald Trump?
2. What is the difference between news and fake news?
3. How are social networks and the Internet important in the spread of fake news?
4. What responsibility do journalists have in preventing fake news?
1. Why is fake news linked to Donald Trump?
In the 2016 US presidential campaign, Donald Trump frequently used the concept of fake news, accusing the New York Times, CNN, Hillary Clinton and the Democrats of circulating false news about him. Voters believed Trump and he eventually won the election.
2. What is the difference between news and fake news?
A piece of news is supposed to be presented to the public as truth, as a real fact of the world. However, a fake news story presents a fact in an unclear, misleading or false way, with the aim, for example, of confusing or raising doubts in the receiver of the information.
3. How are social networks and the Internet important in the spread of fake news?
Nowadays, the Internet and social media are present in all activities of our lives. They are means of instantaneous dissemination of information that reaches masses of people; a (large) part of this information may be fake news.
4. What responsibility do journalists have in preventing fake news?
A good journalist must be committed to the truth and present stories as real news as accurately as possible; to fail to do so, or to present an intentionally false story, is to put his or her job in danger (professional suicide).