“There are three elements to fake news; Mistrust, Misinformation and Manipulation” (Martina Chapman, Media Literacy Expert, n.d.). “Fake news is news that conveys or incorporates false, fabricated or deliberately misleading information or is characterised as or accused of doing so.” (Oxford English Dictionary, 2019)
What is Fake news?
Fake news is information created to deceive the readers or viewers to influence their opinion, and ignite propaganda or confusion. Fake news does not have a verifiable source but is published such as they appear to be true. There are two kinds of fake news: Misinformation and Disinformation. Misinformation is publishing wrong or deceiving information, without the intention of doing so whereas disinformation is also publishing wrong or deceiving information, but with deliberate intentions of doing so to meddle with the truth or public opinion.
“Fake news is fabricated information that mimics news media content in form but not in organizational process or intent.” (Lazer et al., March 2018) This is mentioned in the book “The Science of fake news”, which expresses how fake news is different from real news, even though it is created in such a way to make believe that it is in fact, real. The efforts that are made by journalists to present real news by gathering and verifying facts are simply skipped in the process of creating fake news. Fake news, in simple terms, is the exact opposite of what real news is.
Two factors affect the dissemination of fake news. To begin with, the more outrageous the news headlines, the greater the money benefits. Clicks on social media platforms can be transformed into earnings for the publisher as more readers get interested in the post. The second reason is that it is a political issue, because of which, some publications purposefully harm the social image of particular public figures and meddle with the minds of the audience. The other types of false information sources are Deepfakes, satire, Hate news, Political fake news and state-sponsored news.
Changes in Journalism
Fake news has affected journalism in multiple negative ways, but mostly the perception of the audience as well as traditional journalism. The perception of the audience has changed negatively because of how the spread of fake news has implanted distrust in the media and are unable to differentiate between fake and real news. Due to this, the credibility of the media has lessened. It has been referred to as the “polarization of trust”. (The Effects of False Information on Journalism, Institute for the Future, n.d.)
The emergence of new digital platforms has brought forth a lot of dramatic changes in journalism and changes, knowingly or unknowingly, because of which fake news has been prevalent. It has given birth to citizen journalism, which is journalism that is conducted by people who are not professional journalists, who disseminate information using various social media platforms. (Britannica, n.d.) This has given everyone access to be able to freely post any information, which can be semi-truth, completely false or one-sided and since there is no viable source of this kind of information, it becomes difficult to control it.
Journalism, social media and public participation have all benefited greatly from the use of digital sources. Checking for news online has become a common habit for most people, whether through Google, Twitter, Facebook, big newspapers, local media websites or other such mobile applications as they bring the latest happenings to people all over the world in real-time.
Rise of Citizen Journalism
The rise of citizen journalism began in 2000 in South Korea, when the term was coined and implemented. Four South Korean colleagues together started an online daily newspaper because they were dissatisfied with the press that existed then in South Korea in the same year. They lacked funds to be able to afford professionals or print newspapers which is why they started the online newspaper called OhmyNews. One of the entrepreneurs of the online newspaper, Oh Yeon-ho declared that “every citizen is a reporter” (OhmyNews, 2007). The site started with 727 citizen journalists/ reporters and in 7 years, it grew to 50,000 people who contributed information via the website. (Britannica, n.d.) (Examples and explain the process of social media)
Editor J.D. Lasica referred to it as “participatory journalism” in a 2007 article, while he also labelled it as “a slippery creature.” This went on as a situation that could be described by different names among those who had studied citizen journalism. Dan Gillmor, the founder and director of the Centre for Citizen Media and the author of We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People (2004), stated that there is no single explanation for the news transition that began in the late 1990s. Because of the democratisation of access to inexpensive and accessible publishing tools, he termed this period “a time of great inquiry.” (Citizen Journalism, Britannica, n.d.)
Effects of Citizen Journalism
With this being normalised, citizen reporters have conquered the internet and are providing information in different forms like blogs, websites, podcasts, vlogs etc. There have been hundreds and thousands of new sites ever since and even more vloggers and bloggers who can put forward their opinion or their facts on the internet through multimedia as an aid. There is a struggle because of dropping readership and viewership because of this reason.
Citizen journalism has also had a significant influence on the political events of the 21st century. During the protests that happened during the Iranian presidential election in 2009, Twitter played a major role and emerged as a channel for sharing information. Later in Egypt, in 2011, activists used to criticise President Hosni Mubarak’s regime by organising themselves into groups on Facebook, the social networking site.
In open societies, overly strict regulation of internet platforms sets a dangerous precedent, encouraging authoritarian regimes to persist and/or extend restrictions. This will limit worldwide freedom of expression and foster anti-democratic sentiment. Democracy that imposes excessive speech restrictions risks legitimising authoritarian regimes and their efforts to suppress basic human rights. Efforts to improve news quality mustn't jeopardise journalistic substance or the investigative environment in which reporters operate.
Effects of Disinformation
Following the development of the printing press, false information concerning George II, the king of Great Britain and Ireland at the time was circulated. This harmed the popular image or reputation of the king was harmed by untrue stories about his illness. This news was published by news organisations without checking facts, which is another example of how fake news and citizen journalism function together. Although the term ‘fake news’ became popular during the 2016 US Presidential election, it still had historical significance, which also shows that fake news is also implemented to accomplish political benefit.
Likewise, propaganda has been employed to influence people’s perspectives ever since the beginning of wars. Considering the case of how during WWI, British newspapers including the Daily Mail and the Times reported that Germans were collecting fat from dead bodies of troops to produce soap and margarine. This was a piece of false news as it held the propaganda to influence the audience to think of Germans as a brutal enemy and have to be defeated in the war. (BBC Bitesize, n.d.).
“Media is no longer passively consumed – it’s created, shared, liked, commented on, attacked and defended in all sorts of different ways by hundreds of millions of people. And the algorithms used by the most powerful tech companies – Google and Facebook in particular – are brilliantly designed to personalise and tailor these services to each user’s profile.” (Webwise, 2018).
Current Scenario
Thousands of news sites and millions of bloggers have emerged since then as a result of the Internet. While struggling with dropping readership and viewership, traditional news organisations jumped into the race with their websites and blogs written by their journalists and many newspapers welcomed users to contribute community news to their web series.
In democratic systems, fake news and sophisticated disinformation campaigns are particularly problematic, and there is an increasing discussion over how to tackle these concerns without jeopardising the benefits of digital media. The government, industry, and consumers must work together to deal with these difficulties to retain an open, democratic system. In all cultures, governments should encourage news literacy and solid professional journalism. To develop public trust and rectify fake news and disinformation without justifying them, the news industry must deliver high-quality journalism.
Because of its capability to mislead and redirect audiences away from authentic news, fake news has become a threat to journalists all around the world. News organisations have found themselves in a conflict with false news not only for public attention but also to maintain their credibility.
Given the increasing usage of the internet and social media in recent years, it has become capable of transmitting information in seconds. The internet has become more user-friendly as a result of low cost, portability and ready availability, which means that anyone can share anything. This makes the information less reliable. Deceptive headlines and click baits are some tactics used to attract users to click on a link.
Case Studies
·To spread rumours during the US Presidential election of 2020, Republicans and Donald Trump propagated fake news aimed at an attempt to damage the vote-counting process by spreading more baseless rumours against Biden. Some citizens in Pennsylvania got texts claiming that “radical liberals and democrats” are planning voter fraud and hijacking the election. These messages exhorted people to rise, based on false information regarding voter fraud, which was not backed by any real proof. According to Kate Starbird, Trump premised on the notion of “participatory disinformation” in that year because he encouraged and motivated the audience to be receptive to the idea of voter fraud, which he later reinforced. The fake newsagents not only see their big news being circulated by different people and platforms but also experience it to be legitimized by the President, which appears as positive reinforcement. Trump has often asserted that if he does not win the election, voter fraud is to be blamed and no social media organisations helped stop it. Even when they ultimately chose to prohibit him, it appeared to be a futile attempt given the extent of the damage.
·Siddique Kappan, a Muslim journalist reporting on the alleged gang rape and murder of a young Dalit woman in a village called Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, India, has been in prison for more than a year now under flimsy charges of terror. Even the Supreme Court has looked away from the brazenly unfair targeting of this young man. This stands in sharp contrast to the soft action against hate crimes by Hindutva workers. In August, people associated with a rally in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar which, like Haridwar, saw calls to kill Muslims, received bail the very next month. Earlier in 2020, even 17 people convicted of mass murder during the 2002 Gujarat riots managed to receive bail. Seven decades after Independence, it is clear that the greatest threat to India’s constitutional order comes not from outside, but from those with power who have chosen to disregard and even sometimes encourage the overturning of the country’s secular edifice. If allowed to continue, this will lead to dark times for India’s minorities as well as its democracy.
The second case study is an example of disinformation and is solely based on propaganda of an attempt to terrorise Muslims in India. Based on no relevant information or reasoning, a journalist is arrested because he is a Muslim and there are charges on him that cannot be proven to be right.
Solution-
Ever since there has been a rise in fake news, Journalists and reporters have been working double time in order to make things right and get back the trust that they have lost in the process. They have been attempting to correct the largely spread fake news with facts as well as doing their original jobs. There can be other contributions by different sectors to make this right, other than just journalists-
·Government- Some restrictions that can prove to be helpful could contribute to combating the spread of false information, while freedom of expression could be constant.
·News industry- They should focus on better quality of journalism that can aid the journalists in building the trust of the audiences as well as increase their number as well. They can also help in calling out fake news when they spot one so that it stays in control.
·Technology companies- The algorithms that have been so effective in helping people in earning should be out in a productive way where fake news can be identified and strengthen accountability internally and online.
·Educational institutions- Efforts should be made to provide media literacy and awareness about these things because as being responsible for nurturing the future sensible people of the society, these institutions play a huge role in the shaping of their minds.
·Public- Different people have different opinions and that often leads to disagreement or clashes, but lots of times it does save the way that false news is handled. It can make a huge difference when it comes to controlling the widespread.
Bibliography-
·Encyclopedia Britannica. 2022. citizen journalism. [online] Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/topic/citizen-journalism>
·West, D., 2022. How to combat fake news and disinformation. [online] Brookings. Available at: <https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-to-combat-fake-news-and-disinformation/>
·Webwise.ie. 2022. Explained: What is Fake news? | Social Media and Filter Bubbles. [online] Available at: <https://www.webwise.ie/teachers/what-is-fake-news/>
·Guides.library.cornell.edu. 2022. LibGuides: Fake News, Propaganda, and Disinformation: Learning to Critically Evaluate Media Sources: What Is Fake News? [online] Available at: <https://guides.library.cornell.edu/evaluate_news/fakenews> [Accessed 16 January 2022].
·BBC Bitesize. 2022. A brief history of fake news. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zwcgn9q>
· Beckett, L. (2021). Facts won’t fix this: experts on how to fight America’s disinformation crisis. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/01/disinformation-us-election-covid-pandemic-trump-biden.
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