Challenges Facing Communication: Fake News

Numerous difficulties continue to be faced by the communication environment. For instance, the development of instant communication has made it possible for a message to quickly reach a large number of individuals (within minutes). While there are benefits to this, there are also some negatives. Fake news is one of the biggest problems facing the communication industry.

A hoax or purposeful deception with the intention of misleading news consumers in order to further social, economic, or political goals is referred to as fake news. Other words which are closely related to the term fake news includes the following: post-truth, outright lies, rumor, misinformation, and counter-knowledge (Klein & Wueller 1).

Examples of Fake News and Its Damage

The following are some of the most outstanding fake news in recent times:

-4 December 2016: A man from North Carolina opened fire at the Comet Ping Pong, Washington. He stated that he was reacting to the issue that it was a child sex ring operated by Hillary Clinton.

-In 2016, it was reported that Florida law makers had voted in favor of Sharia law in their state. The news commanded more attention the moment it was repeated by Michael Flynn.

The use of fake news has far reaching consequences. It has been known to heavily damage the reputation of individuals. In some cases, by the time the individual clears his or her name, the reputation has already gone down the drain. It should be noted that even the time the fake news is debunked, some still believe in it.

If a certain media house is associated with a certain fake news, the media house in question can face a public relations nightmare. This can adversely create mistrust from the readers of the media house (Randel 73). Such houses should disassociate themselves or distance themselves from news that is not authenticated.

Fake news has led to a big impact in the decision making. It should be noted that political news can also be related to economic news of one or the other. For example, if a certain political leader is known to take a hard stand on liberal economy, then the business community may be worried about such a leader assuming office. Consequently, the business community is going to monitor news in order to make an informed decision. In such a case, fake news can directly affect the investment decisions that one is going to make.

However, another angel to the damage that fake news can cause is the issue of programs that are categorized defined as comedy shows. The assumption is that such shows may not be integrated as carrying the plain truth. A good example here is the Daily Show that was ran by Stewart. It is shocking how the viewers used to derive real time news from the show (Holt 84).

Stewart and Colbert have demonstrated political expediency and corruption using a comic genius mind ( Amarasingam 2).

Motivation to Fake News

Individuals behind fake news manipulate it in order to gain advertising revenues. When a website owner successfully generates a piece of fake news, there is a lot of traffic that flows to the site, and therefore revenue. From Search Engine Optimization (SEO), there is a strong correlation between the ranking of the website and the revenue accrued.

Fake news can be used to adversely affect the reputation of a certain individual. This is a common strategy in political competition. For example, political leaders are vulnerable to guesswork when the public does not get clear information about them (Kaye 16).

Fake news can also be used to discredit the opponent. This is more so during the campaign season. Once the election is over, it becomes less relevant to continue attacking the opponent through fake news.

Legal Response and First Amendment Protection

There is sufficient legal framework guiding the use of fake news and what to do should one be a victim. Victims of fake news have a legal redress, but it is under defamation law. If there is sufficient evidence that the story is not true, then the victim can sue because his or her reputation is at stake.

Under the law of tort, a person can sue another person based on the allegation that he or she has been harmed. Being harmed is not confined to physical harm. On the contrary, it includes psychological and emotional harm. For example, how can Hillary Clinton, who is a mother and a grandmother much as she is a high profile personality, explain to her child and grandchild that she is involved in child sex. Such cases can be embarrassing if not outright traumatizing.

In the legal process, the person who has defamed the other will be held accountable. It should be noted that the individual who also repeated a certain fake story is also an accomplice in the crime. This is known as the republication rule.

The challenge that comes with suing for defamation is that in some cases, financial compensation can never help recover the name. Once the reputation has been damaged, it takes a long process to recover it, and in some cases, it is an impossibility. Shakespeare’s in Othello says thus:

Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,

Is the immediate jewel of their souls:

Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing;

’twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands;

But he that filches from me my good name

Robs me of that which not enriches him,

And makes me poor indeed.

Another critical challenge regarding litigation on fake news is that one has to pay a lawyer. In some cases, one will be asked to pay for the legal fees per hour. Again, there is no guarantee that the outcome of the case will be favorable. In addition to that, such news can drive a lot of publicity. In connection to this, there is a difference between the cases that are covered by the media and the cases which are not (459). Cases which are covered by the media tend to draw a lot of debate and controversy. The jury, though it may not admit this, is well aware about the scrutiny that such cases draw.

Another challenge facing cases of defamation in fake news is the burden of identifying the source of the fake news. In some cases, the source is conspicuous and one can easily activate a lawsuit. However, in some cases, it is very difficult to trace the origin of the fake news. Take for instance the use of Facebook, one post can be shared by thousands of users. Identifying the source of the original post is not an afternoon walk in the park. Again, if one finds multiple sources of a certain fake information, it is difficult for one to sue all the parties involved.

Defamation cases have a high standard to meet. For example, the aggrieved person has to proof that the person who initially initiated the fake news was aware that whatever he or she wrote was not true. Therefore, the writer of the news can go ahead and argue that by the time he or she was writing the content, it was based on the truth.

Concerning the First Amendment, the premise on fake news is that truth will out in the end. The Amendment views the news as ac marketplace where both the truth and falsehood are given their space. Here, it is expected that the truth will eventually be declared the winner albeit in the long run.

The First Amendment protects the freedom of expression and the right for the expression of ideas. These includes opinion on topics which are considered controversial. If fake news are out rightly made illegal, then this would be going against the Amendment. In this case, the remedy goes back to a defamation suit.

Again, the correlation between the First Amendment and fake news brings to the fore the issue of philosophical ethics in journalism. The press plays a significant role in shaping and influencing the social, political, and economic realm (Stephen 45). While distancing themselves from absolutism, scholars have had a general consensus that some form of legal restrain on journalism is consequential. The implication is that this is going to increase the level of moral responsibility in the journalism field.

How to Avoid Fake News

I am a great fan of George Soros. Much as I would like to be employed, I would like to start a business and be financially stable and philanthropic, just as George Soros is. Perhaps, I will start a philanthropic project in any African country. George Soros is the man I look up to, and I read his works and follow his activities.

Along came my moment of disillusionment that made me change my perception towards him- it was reported that George Soros, a billionaire who supports liberal initiatives, paid many women so that they could take part in the Women’s March. I could not forgive him. I believe that every individual has the right to make any economic, political, or social cause, whether I believe with them or not.

According to me, George Soros should not use such means as paying people to attend a rally. One should attend a rally (or choose not to attend) based on their own volition and not due to such factors of being paid. But then, it occurred to me, how true were the news? In other words, I was hasty in decision making and outright naïve. I just realized that I need to learn on the most effective ways of avoiding being trapped by fake news.

There has been several attempts by various entities to avoid the spreading of fake news. For example, Facebook, though denying that fake news through Facebook had an impact on the US election, stated that it would make an effort of flagging such news.

Another method which I intend to use in the future is checking the domain name of the website. This comes in handy in helping one to evaluate of a certain website is credible or not. Again, there are some organizations which produce satirical literature. In such cases, reading that the piece is a satire helps in defining the truth from fake news. Most importantly, when I come across a piece of suspicious news, others can as well share it, but I am not going to be one of them.

According to Marchi (34), young people have a different perception and attitude towards news. In other words, they prefer a certain format that the mainstream media may not necessary offer. Though young people still prefer professional journalism, they still would want it packaged in a certain way.

Conclusion

The value of reading the correct news cannot be underestimated. However, the trend with technology is that it becomes better every day. The more man advances in technology, the higher the challenges therein. Having stated that, the government, the private sector, and the public ought to make sure that they are responsible in handling news. Perhaps, having more punitive measures on cases of defamation is not a bad way to start.

References

Amarasingam, Amarnath. The Stewart/colbert Effect: Essays on the Real Impacts of Fake News.

Jefferson: McFarland & Co., Publishers, 2011. Internet resource.

Franklin, Marc A. “Winners and losers and why: A study of defamation litigation.” Law &

Social Inquiry 5.3 (1980): 457-500.

Holt, Jason. The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen in the Art of Fake News. Malden,

MA: Blackwell Pub, 2007. Internet resource.

Kaye, Sharon M. The Onion and Philosophy: Fake News Story True, Alleges Indignant Area

Professor. Chicago: Open Court, 2010. Print.

Klein, David O., and Joshua R. Wueller. “Fake News: A Legal Perspective.” (2017).

Marchi, Regina. “With Facebook, blogs, and fake news, teens reject journalistic ”objectivity”.“

Journal of Communication Inquiry 36.3 (2012): 246-262.

McGirr, Randel. Fake News. S.l.: LULU COM, 2015. Print.

Klaidman, Stephen. ”The virtuous journalist.“ (1987).