How tech companies and journalists can fight the spread of fake news

Photo courtesy/Wix.com.

Fake news, misinformation, disinformation

Of all the circulating definitions of fake news, I agree with the idea that fake news is the intentional creation and circulation of false information.

I also support the definition of fake news proposed by the Macmillan Dictionary, which suggests fake news is “a story that is presented as being a genuine item of news but is in fact not true and is intended to deceive people.”

I also believe it is important for the public to be aware that journalists’ errors are not ‘fake news.’ This reinforces the importance of transparency on behalf of the journalists and furthermore promotes the need for media literacy.

Tech companies must hold accountability

I believe that in order to fight the spread of fake news, tech companies need to further monitor and flag known false information.

Tech companies grapple with moderating false content for the reason that it supports their algorithm.

Tech companies and social media platforms thrive off of page clicks and shares, therefore, fake news sites will implement SEO strategies to make their popularize their content. Tech companies must adjust their algorithms to eliminate this phenomenon.

Photo courtesy/Wix.com.

It is no surprise that fake news is profitable. Facebook and Google are two of the largest seller of online ads, and need to claim responsibility for hosting fake news sites, despite the potential financial gain.

I believe that tech companies, although not responsible for the creation of fake news, hold the most responsibility for the proliferation of fake news.

In order to fight the spread of fake news, tech companies must adjust their algorithms and ignore financial motivations.

Moving Forward

I think the best thing journalists can do to combat the issue of fake news is to keep adhering to the traditional values and practices of journalism and remind the public exactly what journalism is.

I believe that the best way to eliminate an issue is to combat it with the opposite.

I also think there is a responsibility on behalf of educators and the public to work toward a greater shared sense of media literacy so that journalists are not having to be the only one’s educating the world on the dangers of fake news.

The public should be able to identify fake news and be diligent in their media consumption.

Photo courtesy/Wix.com.