There has always been misinformation. Older, less-educated men have always been grumpy as their privileged lives eroded. #curmudgeons
The internet gives voice to their wrongheadedness. Businesses like FOX News found a way to make money off them. The Republican Party and others around the world found ways to motivate them to vote.
Axios CEO Jim VandeHei offers 4 ways to reduce #FakeNews:
- Politicians … Stop using the term “fake news.”
- Media … Ban your reporters from doing anything on social media — especially Twitter — beyond sharing stories. Snark, jokes and blatant opinion makes people skeptical of your factual stories.
- Social Media companies … Radically self-regulate, or allow government regulation to stanch, the flow of disinformation …
- One thing is for sure: The current self-policing isn’t cutting it.
- YOU … Quit sharing stories without even reading them. Quit tweeting your every outrage. Quit clicking on garbage. Spend a few minutes to verify the trustworthiness of what you read.
