Interest in countering “false” or “fabricated news” in new and traditional media is increasing globally. This interest is driven, in particular, by the uncertainty and lack of confidence in content disseminated by various media outlets that has caused several crises and undermined the reputation of states and individuals.
Undoubtedly, this phenomenon gained more prominence as some of the most professional global media organizations were involved in publishing or republishing ‘fake news’. It is not limited to traditional psychological war or rumor warfare during times of crises between states or political conflicts among parties in certain countries. Rather, it has spread and established an enduring presence in the media landscape to increase viewership, and grab a greater share of the advertising market, a success that is due in particular to the spread of what is known as “traffic news” on social networking sites and dedicated news websites and portals.
Within this context, a number of states and global corporations recently launched initiatives and applications to curb this phenomenon in traditional media that are politically motivated to increase their target audience, followers and shares. However, these new mechanisms remain dependent on their spread among recipients of fake news on both social networking sites as well as websites.
New Usage
The phenomenal spread of fake news poses a new challenge for various new and old media. As well as negatively tarnishing the image of traditional media’s professionalism, fake news has undermined users’ confidence in new media. According to various surveys and statistics, confidence in new media was successfully built over the past years and even transformed in many states into a major source of information,.
It is believed that the conflict environment represents the main if not the only motivation of the spread of “misleading media” involved in disseminating fabricated news and statements as tools of psychological warfare aimed at influencing public opinion. However, regional and global media landscapes reveal multiple patterns of employment of fake news. These patterns include profiteering, where electronic sites, including major portals, are keen on using sensational and controversial headlines that are mostly fabricated and even irrelevant to the content of concerned stories. They use such catchy lines for the sole purpose of gaining “traffic” that would help increase the number of followers, visitors, viewership and readership.
Such sites and other types of new media would also resort to this pattern of misinformation and disinformation to gain profitable commercial ads that can generate financial revenue adequate for meeting financial commitment to their employees at a time when media suffers from declining funds. However, some of these sites would resort to this tactic to divert public opinion from major issues and causes. Moreover, to date, political motivations continue to be a major driver of this phenomenon. That is, all these patterns of disinformation found their calling in new media, including social networking sites, blogs and electronic websites because they are capable of spreading fast and, often, being free from oversight due to lack of significant mechanisms for fact checking news while discrediting and disproving fake news.
According to the rules of traditional media, the spread of a rumor continues even after the rumor itself is refuted, and interestingly, the refuting would not be as popular as the rumor. It is worth mentioning here that a majority of fake news spread through social media depending on the lack of inexperience of recipients or audiences, and perhaps their rush to re-disseminate and forward information without even looking into their date or content.
Newly created Countermeasures
Concerned parties have recently shown notable interest in introducing measures to curtail the spread of fake news. The following countermeasures stand out in this context:
1- Legal measures by states. Fake news has been on the rise recently in several Western countries and Germany in particular, where the far right has employed social media to achieve their goal of stopping an influx of refugees and asylum seekers from the Middle East. The far right spread lies and exaggerated crimes committed by refugees as individual acts. This is illustrated when a rightwing website claimed that a mob chanting “Allahu Akbar” had set fire to a church in the city of Dortmund on 2017 New Year’s Eve. The twisted story sparked severe official criticism of the world’s biggest social network Facebook.
To counter such fake news, the German government, in April 2017, approved a new bill that penalizes social networking sites if they fail to swiftly remove illegal content such as hate speech or defamatory fake news, and agreed on rules that would impose fines of up to 50 million euros (USD 53.4 million) on social media platforms. In December 2016, German Justice Minister, Heiko Maas, highlighted the importance of enacting legislation to counter hate speech and fake news on social networking sites such as Facebook. Consequently, Facebook, in January 2017, announced that it was introducing a new fact-checking tool in Germany to verify news published on its networks.
Moreover, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the British parliament, in January 2017, launched an inquiry to identify measures that should be taken against websites disseminating fake news because, according to the committee, the rise of propaganda and fabrications is "a threat to democracy”.
2- Introducing advanced applications by website managers. In response to sharp criticism of Facebook’s management during the recent US presidential elections, the social network released a report on cyber security. The report finds that there was evidence of coordinated efforts by individuals and bodies using fake Facebook accounts to spread information related to the US election, including reports based on leaked emails of the Democratic Party. Within this context, Facebook team sought to introduce new technologies to detect violations and fake account on the network's site, enhance security measures, and add enhanced security and privacy features to prevent hackers from stealing users' personal information. The management team also created a new position, head of news content, in early May 2017. Facebook also announced that it was able to deactivate more than 30,000 fake accounts in France alone between April 13 and 30.
Wikipedia, on the other hand, in late April 2017, launched "Wikitribune", a planned news website in which professional journalists research and report news stories alongside volunteers who curate articles by proofreading, fact-checking, suggesting changes and adding sources, in a bid to expose fake news.
3- Initiatives by Traditional Media. Several traditional media organizations were involved in publishing fake news, photographs and incorrect and misinformed reports in particular about conflicts in the Middle East. BBC was prompted to create a new department dedicated to monitor and verify news before they are published on the corporation's websites. Agence France Presse (AFP) in September 2016 joined the First Draft network of media organizations and social networking sites that is dedicated to improving skills and standards in the reporting and sharing of information that emerges online and on social networks.
Within this context, it can be said that measures recently put in place will help significantly curb the spread of the phenomenon of fake news that is imposing profound impact not only on internal developments in some countries, but also on global affairs.
