Fake News, Misinformation, and Disinformation in Today’s Media Landscape

A typewriter and books depicting "fake news." Photo courtesy of Unsplash.

As someone studying journalism, the discussion of fake news, including misinformation and disinformation is critical. Fake news includes any information that is false or misleading and is portrayed as news to an audience with the intention to deceive. When considering fake news, it’s very important to consider the intention of the creator, because fake news differs immensely from an unintentional mistake or error in reporting. 

The Cambridge Dictionary defines fake news as “false stories that appear to be news, spread on the internet or using other media, usually created to influence political views or as a joke.” The reference that this definition makes to politics has become an increasingly important discussion relating to fake news in recent years. 

In Mobile and Social Media Journalism: A Practical Guide, author Anthony Adornato explains that former President Donald Trump popularized the term “fake news” by using it to describe or explain any negative press he received, even if the reporting was true and factual. 

This has allowed Trump, his followers, and critics of the news media to openly criticize the journalism profession and industry as a whole, which has actually been beneficial to Trump’s 2024 campaign as he continually undermines media reports. 

According to the article “Here’s Donald Trump’s most lasting, damaging legacy” published by CNN, in 2016, 70% of self-identifying Republicans said they had at least some trust in national news organizations. In 2020, that number dropped to 49%, and less than a year later when the article came out in 2021, only 35% of Republicans reported having trust in the news. 

The book also defines fake news in a variety of ways, including:

• “Fake news is the deliberate fabrication of information with the intent to deceive.”

• “The intention of the creator is to mislead.”

• “Fake news is content that intentionally:

  • Is false in its entirety or in part,

  • Leaves out facts in an effort to distort the truth,

  • Misinterprets and misuses data,

  • And takes information out of context.”

I tend to agree with these definitions because they not only focus on the deliberate nature of such content but also cover the wide variety of what fake news can include. One of the most important parts of the journalism industry is an understanding of trust between news organizations and audiences, so when that trust is questioned the media can lose its credibility. 

It’s also important to consider the distinction between misinformation and disinformation. According to Adornato in Mobile and Social Media Journalism:

• Misinformation is “false information that is spread regardless of the intent to deceive.”

• Disinformation is “the intentional spreading of inaccurate information. 

The most important difference between these two concepts is that misinformation is shared accidentally, while disinformation is shared deliberately. 

Technology companies have also fallen at the forefront of the conversation surrounding fake news. It’s very easy for anyone to spread disinformation on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Adornato explains that this was especially apparent following the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections. He explains an analysis found that in the three months before the 2016 election, top-performing fake election news on Facebook saw more engagement than the top-performing stories from major news outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NBC News. 

This clearly shows that tech companies play a big role when it comes to the distribution of fake news and should take a more active effort in combating it. The basic structure of technology companies alone makes them easy to blame for the spread of fake news, especially due to the financial aspect, where clicks and ads trigger revenue. 

On Instagram’s Help Center website, they outline steps to address false information.

• Reducing the distribution of false information:

  • Making false information harder to find. This includes third party fact checkers labeling information that is inaccurate. These posts are then filtered from Explore and hashtag pages. 

  • Using technology to find the same false information. When a post is labeled as false, image matching technology labels identical content elsewhere on Instagram or Facebook. 

  • Labeling posts with false information warnings. Posts identified as false information are labeled so consumers are aware of the content. 

  • Removing content and accounts that go against Community Guidelines. If a post or account violates the app’s community guidelines, it will be removed. 

Other tech and media platforms should employ similar techniques to combat the spread of fake news, with one of the most important tactics being third-party fact checkers verifying information and ensuring they are labeled as false – since outright removing them would likely be a violation of an individual’s 1st Amendment rights. 

The issue of fake news should be combated by tech companies, media outlets, and journalists holding their users, audiences, and selves accountable when it comes to the spread of information. Also, taking more active roles in identifying and alerting audiences of fake news is important to create a better channel of trust and communication with news consumers.

In terms of journalists fighting fake news, the best tactic is to uphold the standard of reporting nothing but the truth. In today’s day and age, journalists must continue to establish and maintain credibility with the public – and should remain active in the fight against disinformation.