Publishers Spread Fake News

With another US Presidential election in 2020 the debate around fake news is starting grow and will likely soon become a key focus of discussion as political influence spreads online. Fake news, while a significant element of the problem, is only part of the issue of tampering and the purposeful spread of incorrect information and bias that plays with truth.

It would be easier to be able to attribute the broader shifts in the political landscape to lies and deceit online - that would help explain the more polarising movements which seem to be gaining momentum, often despite significant evidence against many of their key claims. 

Various investigations have actually found that it's not immediate fake news that's fueling such, but inherent fake-bias, which is being propped up by the capacity to find others online who agree, and the validation that individuals can receive as a result.
If an issue is fueling support on Facebook because it's a passionate issue, one which inspires people to tap 'Like' and to comment in support of such a stance. 

That engagement triggers Facebook's algorithm to distribute the post further, in order to spur more of the same, and the story gains momentum and becomes much bigger through that additional reach.But it's not 'fake news', it's more an exaggeration of a specific element. And because it triggers such emotional response, it spreads, solidifying support within certain elements of the political spectrum. 

News outlets have learned that divisiveness can be good for business, which is why we've seen increasing polarisation among news providers, along with fringe, online publications which have risen up by taking an even more selective, one-sided perspective on certain issues. 

Instagram, a subsidiary of Facebook, started working with independent, third-party fact-checkers in May 2019 to combat misinformation and expanded the operation several months later. 

Not Just Political Fake News
Instagram said recently that the social network and one of its fact-checking partners had removed a disclaimer labeling a manipulated photo of rainbow-colored mountains “false,” effectively reversing a fact-check. One of its partners, NewsMobile, had applied a “false” label to a viral photo of Death Valley, California that a digital artist had added rainbow hues to and others had reposted.

A Photoshopped image of painted hills by a graphic designer was declared false by Instagram, suggesting that artists’ work on the platform would be more broadly blocked. “We will treat this content the same way we treat all misinformation on Instagram,” a spokesperson said to The Verge. “If third-party fact-checkers mark it as false, we will filter it from Instagram’s recommendation surfaces like Explore and hashtag pages.”The company ended up backtracking, though: The fact-checking partner, Indian news site NewsMobile, reversed its fact-check, which was published in 2019 under the headline “Here’s the truth behind these mesmerising rainbow mountains” and picture was set free.

Instagram fact-checking hits some Bumps
It’s a difficult path for Instagram to walk as it tries to filter fake information and images while leaving art alone. For instance, Donald Trump’s approval rating with Republicans is not as high as he says his overall approval rating is currently around 42%.

Instagram, a subsidiary of Facebook, started working with independent, third-party fact-checkers in May 2019 to combat misinformation and expanded the operation several months later. 

Yet despite the popularity of movements like the global climate strike and the massive women’s marches around the globe, most people don’t actually attend these events. The general public’s opinions about protests and the social movements behind them are instead formed in large part by what they read or see in the media. 

That puts pressure on journalists to get things right and for social media to remove fake news.

Daily Beast:      Nieman Lab:     Nieman Lab:    Social Media Today: 

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