From the grassy knoll to 9/11 was an inside job, from every UFO sighting to who killed JonBenét Ramsey, the idea of conspiracy theories and fake news has been something of a mainstay over the past few decades. However, with the boom in technology and having easier ways to communicate with people, the amount of falsity and misrepresentation has only increased as time goes on. This rise of fake news has also made its way into the mainstream media instead of staying on sites like Kiwi Farms and 4Chan due to President Trump's vocal outcry of distrust in "fake news media" and "false facts." However, there is always a source and a trail behind any news or information. To find the source of the misinformation and show the general public the facts is something journalists should strive to accomplish, as the public needs to know what they cannot trust.
Where are the sources of fake news?
As said previously, fake news has always been around since the dawn of time. People constantly lie to one another, but not on as big a scale nor one as convincing as the conspiracy theories we face surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine. According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, most Americans who are unvaccinated have a strong opinion of why they haven't taken the vaccine yet. The most important part of this graph below is the political side of who has confidence in the vaccine and who doesn't. The graph also reveals the telling sign of their ideals and where they get information.
As you can see, most people who are not confident about the vaccine are unvaccinated republicans with about 45%. The article also tells that most unvaccinated people believed that they did not have enough information about the vaccine or did not know about any possible health risks relating to the COVID-19 vaccine. But the main question is, where are these people getting information from? That place would be Fox News, where according to a survey done by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 30% of unvaccinated people cite Fox as their main outlet for information. That is alarming and needs to continue to come to light, as Fox News continues to post false facts and fake news surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and is placing doubts and fears of getting the vaccine into their viewers.
How do we combat fake news?
As Osama Tahir of AgilityPR said, the main goal of PR is to promote brand image and trust. A brand is an asset that has not and will not be changed with the rise of fake news. However, the margin for error and making sure we can combat fake news with facts should be considered with every campaign or movement. However, this is a good thing, as it means that people can be held accountable for promoting false narratives. If what media people choose to consume is always truthful, and they tell the public which sites or stories are not, then fake news will be less frequent. We will always have the Tucker Carlson's and Alex Jones' of the media world, but proving they are wrong and backing up what is right will be a considerable feat to overcome, but a necessary one.
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