August 15, 2021

Nicholas Lorimer on combatting fake news

34 minutes

How serious is the problem of fake news? How do we, as media consumers find credible and reliable sources of news in an information-abundant age?

In this episode of the Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak to Nicholas Lorimer of the South African Institute of Race Relations – and host of the Daily Friend Show – about a recent paper he co-authored with Terence Corrigan on how to combat fake news.

Although fake news may seem like a contemporary problem, Nicholas points out that misinformation is as old as the written word itself. "A lie can travel half-way around the world before the truth can put on its shoes," as Mark Twain (allegedly) said. This aphorism has never been more accurate than it is today, where modern digital technology acts as an accelerant for the dissemination of information, both real and fake.

Nicholas and I discuss:

How Big Tech companies have struggled to moderate the content on their platforms

How online censorship does more harm than good

The declining credibility of traditional media houses

The rise of the self-appointed 'fact-checkers'

How we can become more discerning consumers of information.

TIMESTAMPS

(0:00) Intro

(0:29) The problem of fake news

(5:23) The role of social media in spreading misinformation

(10:17) Fake news in South Africa

(14:27) Big tech censorship

(20:24) The credibility of 'fact-checkers'

(22:17) The role of traditional media organisations

(25:42) Improving the quality of news and information

(29:24) Being a responsible media consumer

(32:52) Conclusion

RESOURCES

READ 'Fake News: A new challenge to human rights?' by Nicholas Lorimer and Terence Corrigan: https://irr.org.za/reports/occasional-reports/files/01-2014-page-1-32-2014-fake-news-report-21-04-2021.pdf

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By David Ansara

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