What does "Fake News" mean to a journalist?

Six days out from the 2024 presidential election, it's impossible to not think about the media in the minds of voters. For the last four years, I’ve heard the word “fake news” more times than I can count, every time as a way to de-credify the same media that works hard to serve the people who don't trust it. From a writer studying journalism, here are the most important aspects when considering what misinformation is, and how to combat it.

Defining “Fake News”

Fake news is not something easy to explain, because everyone has their perception of its meaning. For me, fake news would be statements that are not credible, and make claims without verifying whether they are truthful. I think a lot of what we see in the current media landscape that people like to classify as fake news are often statements that are opinionated without disclosing an opinion, as opposed to a verified fact. I often think about Tucker Carlson, whose Fox News show is primarily based on his own opinions instead of traditional reporting, but is presented in a newscast format, so it's often believed as fact. I do agree with the definitions in the chapter because I think they address the same elements of importance that my definition does, but I don’t know that any definition can fully encapsulate how complex the term is. 

Responsibility of Tech Companies

I think to a certain extent, tech companies should be responsible for what is said on their site. People have a right to free speech, but to use most apps, you sign an agreement to follow their policies. Logging onto TikTok is not the same as standing on public property. When you're participating on social media or other websites, you’re using a private service that has the right to limit your speech. 

With that being said, Tech companies have a responsibility to work policies into their guidelines, to prepare for the inevitability of people saying whatever they want, because social media as a concept encourages it. TikTok has a pop-up on a lot of political videos that allows you to click out of the app and learn more, in case misinformation could be present. I think that's a great example of a company taking accountability for what they know their platform allows people to say and do, and trying to combat it the best they can.

What is the role of journalists in combating it? 

I would love to think that there is a change journalists could make to magically resolve the issue of fake news. However, I think when we see it on social media, there is no resolution. Free speech is a part of our constitution, and people will continue to say whatever they want because of that.

The best I think journalists can do is individually put in the effort to verify their reporting, over and over again. The American public has gained a distrust for the media, and as a journalist, all you can do is try to prove that you are trustworthy. If they still don’t believe you, the responsibility is no longer yours.

Header Photo provided by Paul Sableman via Creative Commons.