Fake News: A Modern Phenomenon

The term “fake news,” popularized by presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016, has since become a staple in our vocabulary, even earning a spot in the dictionary. According to dictionary.com, fake news refers to “false news stories, often sensational, created to be widely shared for generating revenue or promoting or discrediting a public figure, political movement, company, etc.”

The rapid acceptance of this term highlights a widespread belief among Americans: the media often uses fake news to drive profits, push preferred narratives, and discredit opposition. Despite public distrust, this practice persists.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, media rhetoric reached dangerous extremes, influencing unstable individuals to act on false reports about candidate Donald Trump. Despite these risks, fake news continues unabated. We propose two solutions to combat this: recognizing red flags and citizen journalism.

Red flags to Watch For:

• Burying the Lead: Important information and sources are often hidden after the first few

  paragraphs, knowing most readers skim headlines.

• Anonymous Sources: While sometimes necessary, these should be supported by

  verifiable facts.

• Buzzwords: Repeated phrases like "the big lie" indicate coordinated messaging across

  media outlets.

• Confusing Language: Designed to bewilder, preventing action from a confused

  audience.

• Lack of Original Thought: Regurgitated talking points reveal a lack of authenticity and

  transparency.

• Extreme Rhetoric: Fearmongering and name-calling are common tactics.

• Clickbait: Sensational headlines often mislead or exaggerate the actual story.

Printed material and sound bites shape narratives, controlling public perception despite constitutional safeguards against government propaganda.

Proposed Solutions:

• Citizen Journalism: Encouraging independent reporting can restore truth, as freedom of the press is a right for all citizens, not just organized media.

• Headline Verification: Compare headlines across different outlets to spot

  inconsistencies—tools like Ground. News can help you do this and identify blind spots.

• Read Beyond Clickbait: Invest time in reading and researching beyond sensational

  headlines to uncover the truth.

• Seek Original Sources: Especially for videos, find unedited versions and watch 15

  seconds before and after to understand the full context.

• Diverse Searches: Use alternative search engines like DuckDuckGo to avoid bias, and

  critically evaluate AI-generated content for potential slant.