What's New About Fake News?

Nick Niehaus
nn775014@ohio.edu

You see it everywhere on Twitter, on the internet, and especially on your television, the idea of "fake news".  It is something journalists can't seem to ever escape criticism over no matter what the circumstances.

The fame of fake news hit the scene in 2016 from the words of President Donald Trump; and ever since sending that now infamous tweet, sparked a movement that could take years before we finish hearing the term.  A movement so great that there are websites with the soul purpose is to fact check what someone may perceive as fake news on the internet.

But the question is, have journalists always been untrustworthy?  Or is this a new phenomenon that is taking place where we all of a sudden can't trust who we see on the television or who we hear on the radio.

The answer is simple, of course this isn't anything new.  Journalists aren't just now deciding to publish stories they shouldn't and people aren't just now becoming skeptical of what they see or hear.

Information in the world today is easier to find and is more accessible than ever before. Although I don't completely credit the fact of how much information the average American intakes daily as a direct correlation for fake news, there is still something to be said on how easy it is just for anyone to have their word published for everyone to see.

Not only is it easier to access information, but it is also easier to interact with journalists more than ever before.  You may not think so, but journalists see your reply to their article claiming fake news or criticizing them for any other reason.  This alone just creates more uncertainty online of whether an article can be trustworthy.

"Anyone can be considered a journalist when they have a platform to speak on nowadays".  Something I have heard multiple times from people on the topic of fake news.  Sure, there are people on the internet who post articles that make you squint your eyes and raise your eyebrows in suspicion, but what is there to be said when people don't even trust legitimate news sources such as CNN.

In a recent poll, only 32 percent of those polled said they trust the media "a great deal".   Just to hit the point, thats three out of ten Americans who actually believe what they hear when listening to any source of media.

So, reality now is that there is something that needs to be done about American's perception on the media, whether journalists like it or not.  Some may just denounce it and make it seem like it's not a big deal, but evidently it is and it's not going away soon.

You may ask how can there be something done about American's perception of the media and the answer is that there is no clear answer.  It all stems at the individual.  The individual journalist or individual article does a job of showing the public whether or not the media can be trusted.

My question, where is this heading?  Where are we gonna be in ten years in terms of media trust? Are outlets going to take action and hold journalists accountable, or is this reign of media distrust going to continue for years upon end?

My hope, journalists remain to be held accountable, and start realizing what they publish doesn't just affect themselves, but journalists everywhere.