There are new digital platforms online and each released advanced and user-friendly journalistic practices. These new mediums have enabled broadcasting companies to reach global audience. On the other hand, hoaxes and misinformation are also common and being referred as “fake news” in the social media realm.
Thin Line between Social Media and News
The sad news is, these fake news are spread faster than the real source and significantly impact how people are interpreting everyday development. These fake news can hit virtually any topic from digital stuff such as those from https://www.yesgamers.com/, politicians, online shopping, gambling and everything in between.
Among the reasons why fake news spreads like wildfire is the fact that they are driven by numerous elements such as:
- Foreign actors
- Citizen journalism and;
- Proliferation of cable news and talk radio shows
Most of the information systems become more contentious and polarized and there’s been significant decline across public trust in conventional journalism.
Both elaborate misinformation and fake news campaigns, most specifically the loopholes in democratic systems amplified the spread of fake news. Not to mention, there’s the debate on how these concerns can be addressed without having to undermine benefits associated to digital media.
In an effort to maintain a democratic and open system, it is essential that businesses, the government and the people as well work collaboratively to solve a common problem.
Everyone’s Role and Responsibility
Governments of respective nation ought to promote strong and ethical journalism and at the same time, promote news literacy in their sovereign. News industry on the other hand should deliver only high-quality journalism to be able to correct fake news and build public trust.
Then again, technology companies have to invest in tools that’ll be able to identify fake news, eliminate financial incentives for those who are profiting from misinformation and also, to improve online accountability. Educational institutions have to inform people regarding news literacy and make this a top priority.
Lastly, the public must follow diverse news sources and shall not be quick to jump to conclusion on what they’ve watch or read. They need to scrutinize the source and compare it to what other sources are saying.