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Episode 15: Fake News - Why We're Complicit
Fake news can, and has, changed fortunes.
Even when it barely registers on the infosphere, fake news can cause major upsets. A Princeton-led study found that fake news played a bigger role in swaying former Obama voters away from voting for Hillary Clinton than either being a Republican or personally disliking Clinton. The study found that false articles made up 2.6 percent of all hard-news articles late in the campaign, and Clinton ultimately lost the three states that delivered Trump the presidency - Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin - by less than a percentage point.
The history of fake news goes at least as far back as the 13th century BCE, when King Ramses II of Egypt memorialized accounts of crushing the Hittite army in the Battle of Kadesh in official records, drawings, and poetry carved on temple walls. In truth the conflict ended in a stalemate.
"News has always been," Dr. Teri points out, "a manipulation tool." Further, she observes, "now anybody can make news. And on the other end, we can have massive organized manipulation of news."
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"If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you do read it, you're misinformed."
Denzel Washington
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Yet, strange to say, we are all complicit in both the practice and in the effectiveness of fake news.
True, each news item pushes an agenda, a response from its consumer. Each intends to push us in one direction or another, to buy something, to vote a certain way, to react in a certain way, ultimately to serve other interests. These interests may be corporate, government, or not-for-profit. But the agenda, the intention, and the call to action are always there.
Our responsibility? To resist the temptation to accept news at face value. To peer deep into the sources of our news to uncover potential biases, affiliations, and alliances. Yes, consider the news outlet itself – its reputation for objectivity, integrity, and quality – but by no means should we let our guard down, even when the source is considered unimpeachable.
Healthy skepticism makes for sound decision making. Sound decision making, in turn, makes for effective leadership.
As individual thinkers, it's vital for us to apply this same skepticism to our own beliefs, attitudes, values, and politics. In a sense, the war on fake news begins in our own hearts and minds.
"We have the right to demand that media does a better job," says Dr. Teri. "But it's also up to us. We're at a place in history where we need to wake up. We need to think like individuals. Figure it out. Make the effort. Know yourself, make better choices, and see through the B.S. instead of becoming a victim of it."
Listen to Episode 15: Fake News - Why We're Complicit now on:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts
[Graphic credit: "Woman Holding Burning Newspaper." Photograph by Jhefferson Santos. Used under Creative Commons CC0. Source:
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ParadiseReclaimed?fan_landing=true)
View all episodes
By Dr. Teri Baydar and Achmad ChadranFake news can, and has, changed fortunes.
Even when it barely registers on the infosphere, fake news can cause major upsets. A Princeton-led study found that fake news played a bigger role in swaying former Obama voters away from voting for Hillary Clinton than either being a Republican or personally disliking Clinton. The study found that false articles made up 2.6 percent of all hard-news articles late in the campaign, and Clinton ultimately lost the three states that delivered Trump the presidency - Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin - by less than a percentage point.
The history of fake news goes at least as far back as the 13th century BCE, when King Ramses II of Egypt memorialized accounts of crushing the Hittite army in the Battle of Kadesh in official records, drawings, and poetry carved on temple walls. In truth the conflict ended in a stalemate.
"News has always been," Dr. Teri points out, "a manipulation tool." Further, she observes, "now anybody can make news. And on the other end, we can have massive organized manipulation of news."
-------------------------------------------------------------
"If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you do read it, you're misinformed."
Denzel Washington
-------------------------------------------------------------
Yet, strange to say, we are all complicit in both the practice and in the effectiveness of fake news.
True, each news item pushes an agenda, a response from its consumer. Each intends to push us in one direction or another, to buy something, to vote a certain way, to react in a certain way, ultimately to serve other interests. These interests may be corporate, government, or not-for-profit. But the agenda, the intention, and the call to action are always there.
Our responsibility? To resist the temptation to accept news at face value. To peer deep into the sources of our news to uncover potential biases, affiliations, and alliances. Yes, consider the news outlet itself – its reputation for objectivity, integrity, and quality – but by no means should we let our guard down, even when the source is considered unimpeachable.
Healthy skepticism makes for sound decision making. Sound decision making, in turn, makes for effective leadership.
As individual thinkers, it's vital for us to apply this same skepticism to our own beliefs, attitudes, values, and politics. In a sense, the war on fake news begins in our own hearts and minds.
"We have the right to demand that media does a better job," says Dr. Teri. "But it's also up to us. We're at a place in history where we need to wake up. We need to think like individuals. Figure it out. Make the effort. Know yourself, make better choices, and see through the B.S. instead of becoming a victim of it."
Listen to Episode 15: Fake News - Why We're Complicit now on:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts
[Graphic credit: "Woman Holding Burning Newspaper." Photograph by Jhefferson Santos. Used under Creative Commons CC0. Source:
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ParadiseReclaimed?fan_landing=true)