William Pollard once said that information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit. From this quote we can say that information contains power but once information is fabricated it can be used to manipulate and cause havoc within a small group of people or even the whole world. Fake news has been around for generations in the form of gossips and rumors. Recently it has become increasingly commonplace due to the extensive use of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. You may say that little or nothing comes from reading or producing fake news but in reality it affects us unknowingly, which is what makes it so dangerous. Fake news stems from propaganda. Propaganda was commonly used in the past due to the lack of available technology. It is a relevant example on how manipulated information could be used in a global scale and how it has shaped our history. One example was during World War I and World War II. During World War I the British government used propaganda to motivate the people against Germany. Germany on the other hand used mass media to …show more content…
For example, there was a fake news report about a pedophile sex ring being operated at the back of a pizza restaurant in Washington, DC. This lead to a man driving to the location and shooting the employee and the restaurant owner receiving numerous death threats. A more troubling example was when a fake news story about Israel threatening war against Pakistan resulted in Pakistan responding with a real nuclear war threat against Israel. This could have lead to another catastrophic war between the two countries. This is why the widespread of fake news should not be taken lightly. We might not realize it but fake news has the potential to affect millions of lives drastically in a short amount of
Another reason why people, especially publishers, might find fake news appealing is from the amount of money they can earn from something that is not true. In the first article, it states, “When you click or share a story, the person or company that created the site gets money. This money comes from advertisers who pay sites based on the number of views their ads get. That’s the point of shocking or outrageous headlines: to get you to click,” (Lewis, 11). This means that, for every outrageous news story that is clicked on, whether it is real or fake, it gets a lot of money. Anyone can become rich from starting a fake news business, and that is what many find appealing about the business. All in all, whether it be the thrill of telling a story, or doing it for the money, there are always people who are interested in the fake news
Everyday people around the globe watch countless hours of television. Many of these hours consist of fictional entertainment shows that have no bearing on the outside world. Although many people do watch local news networks, most of these stories do not effect people around the globe. Only a few networks such as The Cable News Network (CNN) and Fox News are around the clock news networks. These networks are able to pick and choose the information in which they make available to the public and spin the stories to form a bias of the people. Many times this is done without viewers knowledge as they do not have time to check other news sources to back the information up. News broadcasts benefit the public in that they are able to relay information and make it easily available to the public. These stories are then able to help combat corruption, as viewers are then able to use their voices to take action. However some news outlets misinform people by giving out wrong information, as well as twisting the facts to create a biased viewer.
In his essay, “The Good, The Bad, and The Daily Show,” Jason Zinser explores the vices and virtues of so-called “fake” news programs. “Fake” news, as Zinser explains, are those programs that blend newsworthy events with comedy. By examining The Daily Show, Zinser reveals both positive and negative impacts that “fake” news could have on society. As a result, Zinser concludes that there are benefits as well as potential problems with “fake” news programs but insists that the true challenge is determining the net impact on society. The essay, which first appeared in The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen and the Art of Fake News in 2007, challenges experts on both sides of the argument who either claim fake news is for entertainment only or that fake news is an acceptable source for information on current events. On one hand, Zinser uses expert testimonies to support his argument that the end result is a better informed public but on the other, he makes logical arguments enhanced by examples to illustrate the potential impacts “fake” news can have on its viewers and mainstream media.
Fake news on social media is one way that causes mankind to rebel against one another's beliefs and ideas. Everyday we may come across or see some type of fake news
One cure that can be administered by teachers is too simple to provide more information on the subject at hand. Another cure may be to add more sources, therefore, reducing the psychological malfunctions that filters out much of the information by source instead of by integrity (NPR “Fake or Real”). Eli Pariser describes this best “filter bubbles”, in this Ted Talk and states that “lives are being insulated from an opposing viewpoint” that shelter us from alternative opinions. He explains. “Some of these problems that our fellow citizens are having kind of disappear from view without our really even realizing”. The invention of fake news has exposed a much deeper problem that he called a “crisis of authority” (Pariser). When people’s belief systems are hindered in a way that secludes information, as in places such as North Korea, they become hard to correct. Having no alternatives. Most will follow what is being said as truth. Also being stuck in the “information bubbles” online many will not see the true information needed to form an accurate argument (NPR “Fake or Real”). From stories of bad sources and fake news to conspiracies and psychological retraining nothing seems to be worse than just outright deception. This is explained by author Eli Pariser and he lends even more insight to this problem in the Ted Talk, “filter bubbles”, in this
Many media outlets tend to focus on sensational information that will get more readers and might even cause a small-scale panic for some people. However, they also tend to reject any relevant information that might give people a better knowledge of the subject simply to entertain readers.
1 If I had to help somebody spot fake news, I would tell him/her to consider and investigate a number of things in the story. The characteristics of a fake news article include too many exclamation marks, an unnamed author, written in capital letters and misspelled, starts with appeals such as “This is NOT a hoax!”; having links to sources which are a complete contradiction and do not support the statements being made (Kiely & Robertson, 2016). In order to identify news as fake, it is important for the reader to have fact-checking and critical thinking skills.
Propaganda controls us through our feelings of fear, happiness, and inadequacy. However, we are the ones who perpetuate propaganda – propaganda depends on us, and it is up to us as victims to put an end to this widespread information. As victims, we must question everything. We must be careful to accept the “truths” presented to us through news coverage, ads, and other sources of information. We do not question to the point of paranoid. Instead, we research. There are, and will always be, many sources to gather information from. As we research, we gain more and more information and expertise to use upon the topic; then, finally, we can reach a seasoned opinion, one with little bias. Gathering information is the best method to solving the issue of propaganda, as it starts with the correction misleading and incorrect information that is given to us. We cannot eliminate propaganda, as opinion will be a constant in our lives. However, we can shape our own opinions and notions through research. To spread true information will also benefit the cause. In this way, we will not be focusing on the subsections of misinformation, we will be able to focus on the root cause of misinformation – we can inform others who have been influenced by a campaign of
(Nope)", by Adee Braun and Kristin Lewis, and "The Story that Got Away", retold by Debby Waldman, both explain fake news and risks that come from them. For example, Fake news can spread and not be taken back. The second article retold by Debby Waldmen, uses the analogy of scattering feathers on a windy day, and trying to retrieve all of them. This is a near impossible task that is very similar to spreading fake news. Once fake news is spread out into the internet it can be shared and posted many places, and read by anyone. Also, Fake news can be written about real people that don't have control over what is said about them. The article "Are These Stories True? (Nope)," talks about a story made up about "Hillary Clinton selling weapons to terrorists" (Braun and Lewis, 10). At the time, she was a main Presidential candidate, and if multiple people read and/or shared that article, her support could go down. This is an example of a fake article that could hurt a person who had no control over the story. Fake news can be very dangerous because it can be spread quickly and can portray bad things about random people who did not support or create the fake
Most of the news sources are owned or ran by people that have political ties or partnerships. In addition this, the news channels will exaggerate stories in order to increases the amount of viewers that will be tuning into the broadcast. In terms this means that the media will change and alter whatever information that is provided by the reporters in order to make the story more interesting and appealing to the viewers of the news
Certainly for as long as communication itself has existed there has always been misleading or even blatantly false information spread. However, as technology become more and more advanced the spread of this false information has become increasingly easier. Recently, a large focus has been placed upon what has been termed as fake news. The most simple definition for what fake news looks like are news stories that present themselves as fact but are intentionally false. Regardless of whether the people spreading theses articles are just in it for the money, or are purposefully trying to convert people to their opinions, the main issue is that people are believing these stories.
Social media is a revolutionary way to connect with friends and family through a single app, much like Facebook. Also allowing the public to be more informed on current events, whether that is an issue in today’s society, all the way to a heartwarming story or a funny video. This sounds amazing and the fact that this type of news outlet is practically new. An issue arises that involves “fake news” and with that comes many opinions on what to do about it. I believe that people browsing these platforms should have a little bit of skepticism behind each story and if the topic truly intrigues someone then they should look into the topic on a reliable resource before passing on the authors misinformation.
Naturally, journalism would spill over to the Internet and as social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook grew in popularity, so did regular citizens involvement with sharing news. The argument can be made that the explosion of social media journalism was due to frustration from the lack of coverage of news that mattered to society. For example, the lack of subjective coverage of Michael Brown 's death helped with the creation of #BlackLivesMatter and spread of news related to African-American’s and other minorities across the country. After all, journalism is supposed to be a public forum. Millions of people on Twitter share their thoughts and opinions on several topics, furthering the conversation and to some degree challenging society. Things such as “Moments” on Twitter provide us with direct links and summaries to the world’s most important stories and encourage a conversation. According to journalism.org, 63% of users on Twitter and Facebook get their news from these websites. Even more eye opening is that 59% of users on Twitter keep up to date with news stories via Twitter while they are in the process of happening.[3] The rise of social media related journalism has caused some issues however. “Inevitably, as citizen involvement grows, more of our media culture is concerned with talking about news, instead of focusing on original reporting and the vetting of it.”[4] Because the general public has the ability to post as they wish and pass it off as news, it has affected the accuracy of many reports. Many stories lack reputable sources but are shared between millions as an accurate and true story. There are several websites designed to spread inaccurate information. The website www.fakenewswatch.com exists to inform people of these sites in order to avoid mishaps. Recently a Connecticut mom went viral for being involved in an online hoax
Fake News is constantly being written, permeating through television broadcasts, internet sites, and magazine articles. It seems that the amount of false news in the world is starting to overtake the amount of genuine information. This is indeed a problem, but not as much as people make it out to be. This is for a few reasons. Fake news is much like bacteria, there are both beneficial and harmful types of fake news. Beneficial fake news is usually
...stence depends upon continued success in furnishing readers and listeners with a wide range of facts,” said reporter Julian Adams. By the public depending on media for information, they are making the media money. Buying newspapers and magazines are compensating those companies. Listening to your local radio station and watching your local news channel is compensating those companies. “Staging (fabrication) or deliberate distortion of news is against public interest,” said writer William B. Ray. Society believes in media and the media believes in the society. So let the society know the real data and what’s important. Knowing what’s important captures the public’s interest rather than knowing what’s fake. Falsifying News is legal meaning the media is allowed to lie to the public. Everyone has their own views on this topic but either way lying to the society is wrong.