Fake news and misleading information rank among voters’ top concerns for this election season. For years, U.S. intelligence agencies have confirmed that Russia and China have targeted American elections – not to change vote counts, but to undermine confidence in our institutions and deepen political divisions. By that measure, they have succeeded.
Fake news isn’t new, but now it dominates our daily lives. There are a variety of reasons for this. Social media algorithms reward emotional reactions, helping to spread inaccurate information faster than facts can catch up. AI technology that fabricates images and creates convincing stories has undermined trust in legitimate news sources, and political polarization makes us quicker to dismiss reporting that challenges our beliefs.
Dr. Justin McBrayer, a philosophy professor who studies fake news, recently spoke to an engaged audience at the ZU Gallery, in a program hosted by the Four Corners Writers and the Montezuma County League of Women Voters, titled “Most of what you believe about fake news is fake news!”
McBrayer outlined four types of news: accurate information that can be verified; misleading information that includes elements of truth but is designed to deceive – like labeling a sugary snack “nutritious” because it’s low in fat; misinformation, shared innocently by people who don’t know it’s false; and disinformation, spread intentionally.
This fragmentation has a history. From the 1960s through the early ’80s, ABC, CBS and NBC dominated American news – an era sometimes called “network news hegemony.” Anchors like Walter Cronkite and Huntley-Brinkley were held in high esteem, and Americans largely shared a common news environment. Cable news, led by CNN’s 24-hour coverage, began fracturing that shared landscape in the 1980s.
Today the fracture is far wider. More than half American adults say they get their news from social media like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and X; 57% of teens do the same. Most young people have never read a newspaper or listened to news on the radio, and many don’t seek out news at all. Compare that to adults 65 and older, 73% of whom actively look for it. Because social media can be designed to reinforce what we already believe, consumers live in echo chambers that confirm existing views rather than challenge them – leaving people more entrenched, not better informed.
Here’s a surprising finding: While most people polled believe disinformation is the most dangerous form of fake news, misleading information can actually do more damage – because it’s harder to separate fact from spin. McBrayer argues, somewhat ironically, that there is “too little disinformation,” in part because there are strong incentives to keep it in check, and that it does less to shift underlying beliefs or behavior.
Our political divide compounds the problem: many of us choose news sources that simply reinforce what we already believe. Breaking that cycle doesn’t start with debating those who disagree with us – it starts with examining our own beliefs. Look for something positive in the opposing view, and look honestly for the weak points in your own.
We also need to critique our news sources. Good decisions require good data. Tools such as the Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart, AllSides and Media Bias/Fact Check can help us evaluate the reliability and slant of the sources we use.
Democracy depends on informed citizens. With an ever-shifting information landscape, that responsibility falls more heavily on each of us – on the choices we make about what to read, which sources to trust and what to share. It’s time for each of us to take that responsibility seriously and walk into the ballot box informed. Fake news creates false beliefs, undermines knowledge and leads to bad decision-making. Breaking that cycle begins with us.
Karen Sheek of Cortez chairs the Montezuma County League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization, and is a former Cortez mayor and city councilor. Contact lwvmzc@gmail.com or find the League on Facebook at https://tinyurl.com/bdcjr8pn.
