Misinformation and Disinformation

In his book “Mobile and Social Media Journalism” Anthony Adornato defines fake news as “the deliberate fabrication of information with the intent to deceive.” I would agree with the definitions of fake news, misinformation and disinformation he provides in this chapter. I would also add that fake news has been used as a term to discredit and undermine the practices of journalists. While the accusation of fake news may not always be true, the problem of increasing misinformation and disinformation is very real.

The book says that tech companies can help prevent the spread of false information by putting systems in place to flag false content and partner with third party fact checking organizations. I think these are all good measures to put in place but I think it is equally to recognize that as the capabilities of the internet expands, we must also stay on top of this issue in order to maintain it, or else we will continue to be steps behind the issue while it causes more damage. These tech companies are fairly guilty in the spread of false information since they are providing the platform for the dangers to occur but I do understand that it can be tricky to navigate establishing regulations without crossing the line into censorship.

I agree with Adornato that it is important to attack this issue from all sides and that it is the responsibility of the tech companies, the journalists, the educators and the public to report false news when it is found. The job of the journalist is to make sure they are doing their due diligence as a reporter by sharing the truth and being a fact-checker. The spread of misinformation and disinformation will only increase if the powers held by the technologies, the journalists and the public don’t join together to combat this issue as a collective.