False Information Within News

Kayla Ramsey 

kr060616@ohio.edu

Since the independence of U.S., people have always consumed news. Whether it be politics, entertainment, local, or current events, journalism is rooted into the heart of our culture. Over the past few decades, mainstream media has shifted to almost all online. Online media can be a great tool for sharing content with other people around the world, but it can also be a place that has the potential to easily spread false information. 

Unfortunately, false information posted on the internet, also called "fake news", is growing exponentially, and it is getting harder and harder for readers to distinguish between factual journalism and fake news. When compared to the 1950's, when most Americans chose to receive news from newspapers and radios, there was little room for fake news. Information went through a rigorous editorial process before it was nationally broadcasted or published. In 2020, and since the early 2000's media has not been regulated as much as printed and broadcasted news. This is due to the fact that online media is relatively new. It is vital that the readers taking in the content on the internet read and share factual information. Fake news can cause many problems and can endure unnecessary panic. Fake news can also be tied to internet scammers who prey on the elderly in hopes to gain banking and other personal information. 

Photo source: BBC

The Chicago Tribune explains that social media is exceptional at spreading false information. With the very little regulations set in place for social media in the United States, we can't expect this wildfire to be contained anytime soon. 

In this day, one should be aware of the content they read or watch. Even large news corporations can produce content filled biased opinions or opinion pieces that are not labeled as such. 

I think that false information is very commonly spread in today's society and people should educate themselves on how to spot fake news, and what they can do to stop the spread of misinformation. 

After Stanford University studied fake news, they compared it to a literal virus, impeding on people's mind and cognitive thoughts. Stanford claims they "want to find a way to cut transmission chains" but it is hard to even begin thinking about how to cut transmissions when the suggested culprit, social media, is always surrounding us. From now on we must expect fake news in our Facebook feeds and on our Instagram stories, but we need to know how to fact check accordingly to prove what is real and what is not.