Fake news can arise from manipulation of information that is carried out maliciously.
Fake news is an expression of the English language that can be translated as "fake news" . Although this translation is valid, and even recommended by the Urgent Spanish Foundation – FundéuRAE , it is common for the English concept to be used in our language.
Before moving forward with the definition, it is important to indicate that news is an uncountable word: only the form ending in S is accepted. Therefore, the notion of fake new is not correct when it is intended to refer to a particular or singular piece of news. In English, therefore, one should always talk about fake news or resort to other forms to generate individualization (such as "piece of news" , for example ).
What is fake news
The idea of fake news refers to false news: that is, news that lacks the truth . This characteristic can be generated involuntarily (the person spreading the news has no intention of disclosing erroneous or false information) or be the result of a premeditated action (they lie or deliberately omit relevant data).
When fake news is intentional, the correct thing to do is to indicate that it is falsified news . This emphasizes the voluntary adulteration of the content .
Depending on the context , fake news can be called hoaxes , fallacies or filths . In a broad sense, they are deceptions or lies .
Low-quality journalism often contributes to the spread of fake news.
A historical phenomenon that continues to grow
Fake news is not a phenomenon of modernity. There has always been the spread of fake news, even with the intention of deceiving the population based on political , economic, etc. motivation.
However, these traps have multiplied in recent years due to the massification of the Internet and, above all, with the rise of social networks . Therefore, the concept of fake news usually refers specifically to pseudo-journalistic material that circulates on the Web and seeks disinformation (that is, intentional manipulation).
What is done with fake news is to influence people's decision-making and opinion formation . With false data presented as real, a personality or an institution is often exalted or discredited; Thus, people make judgments that are based on a lie.
Sometimes, fake news works as a media distraction to avoid attention to certain problems.
Fake news and journalism
Because fake news is usually presented as journalistic articles , its existence represents a big problem for journalism in general. The credibility of professionals who work honestly and of the media that are governed by ethical criteria is also often questioned by the advance of this phenomenon.
For citizens, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between fake news and real news. In this way, the plants that generate fake news are usually considered serious media. At the same time, there is a tendency to reject what is disseminated by newspapers, magazines, radios, TV channels and portals that publish truthful and verified information from different sources.
It should be noted that post-truth is a term linked to the phenomenon of fake news. Post-truth is called the distortion of reality that intentionally aims at the manipulation of emotions and beliefs. The "truth" that some media spread, in this framework, is a biased or directly false vision of what is real that is not based on objective facts, but that is accepted and defended by people as true.
Smear campaigns
Fake news is usually used within the framework of smear campaigns against someone or something. Through Internet bots and fake accounts on social networks , slander, quotes out of context, false statements and other content are spread with the aim of achieving discredit.
This defamation based on falsehoods, distorted information and other resources is carried out through unreliable sources that aim at emotional manipulation. Many times the population fails to recognize fictitious narratives and consumes invented news and rumors as objective facts, thereby constructing concepts that are based on distorted precepts .
That is why it is important to train citizens to detect fake news . The State and institutions must work on awareness-raising actions so that each person can recognize unverified news. This is also vital to interrupt its spread: anyone who notices that they receive fake news through social networks or WhatsApp should not forward it.
Likewise, journalists have the obligation to rebuild their link with society, rejecting the spread of fake news and denouncing its publication. In this way, serious and professional media can once again have social recognition for their work, which differentiates them from those that appeal to sensationalism, the yellow press and camouflaged propaganda .