Donald Trump’s presidency is perhaps one of (if not the) most controversial presidents in the history of the USA. Since being in office, Trump has divided America between the radical left and the radical right, with very little room for diplomacy between the two. Whether you love him or hate him, his impact on the American public cannot be denied. Since he was brought into office, there has been increased fervor on both sides, and the numerous controversies surrounding his term have made him famous and infamous in equal measure. Whether that is for better or for worse depends on who you ask.
Today, however, we’re not seeking to credit or discredit one of America’s most tumultuous presidents. Today is about one of the very first things that established the Trump Presidential legacy, what the former president referred to as “fake news.” Although it doesn’t take a master’s degree in journalism to understand what “fake news” actually is, the term seems to have swept through the social consciousness like wildfire. As Trump supporters (and indeed Trump himself) bandy about the phrase to denounce any news source that questions or discredits the former president, it seems that society is in somewhat of a fake news pandemic.
So, how do we fight back against the misinformation?
First things first
To understand how desperate of a situation we are in concerning the spread of misinformation, we first need to understand how big of a problem it is, and why it’s such a problem.
A recent study showed that more than 70% of US citizens are concerned about the proliferation of so-called fake news. Where journalism is plagued by deep fakes, and the internet allows for amateur reporting and amateur research to be published with a lack of scientific rigor, it appears there are more sources of misinformation and fake news than legitimate news. This has been a problem since the earliest days of the free press, and it’s likely one that we’re going to be facing for a long time.
So why is it such a big deal now?
Aside from Trump using the term to criticize and villainize detractors, the world today is very different from the world of 2019. The internet has exploded, and as podcasts, blogs, and non-professional journalism boom, freedom of speech is becoming more and more akin to the freedom to say whatever you want without consequence. The result is a concentrated community of inherently reality-detached conspiracists, armed with false statistics,and an unearned sense of bravado.
Recognizing the real from the fake
In The Matrix (1999), the main character is asked, “Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?” A lot of people probably didn’t think about it back then, but The Matrix and its concept of being “unplugged” is a perfect analogy for conspiracist and fake news adherent mentality.
While propaganda and misinformation spread, those who turn to full-blown conspiracists are those who believe they have stumbled onto some hidden truth; thereby making them smarter, stronger, and more capable people when compared to those who believe in credible news sources. It’s a tempting state of mind because it can’t be disproved; observable reality is often explained by the errant viewpoint, and any recorded evidence to the contrary is “what they want you to think.” In other words, conspiracists think that non-conspiracists are living in a dream.
The problem is that these theorists then propagate false information that spreads their message, but oftentimes the message is inherently harmful to the larger global population, such as COVID-19 misinformation, or climate change conspiracies.
So how can we tell what’s real and what’s fake?
1 – Trust the experts
Scientific rigor is the process of testing a claim using the scientific method. When research bodies are filled with experts who have dedicated decades of their lives to a particular subject, it’s generally a good idea to trust them; not least because these experts apply scientific rigor to their theories.
Conspiracists are very good at providing extensive evidence, but they’re not good at proving that evidence. The scientific process demands that any assertions to the positive resolution of a theory are put through a process designed to test their failure as well. In other words, the scientific process is immune to confirmation bias.
2 – Critical thinking
Some conspiracists have gotten a hold of the term critical thinking lately but don’t use it themselves. Again, this is due to a conspiracist’s tendency to cite evidence that hasn’t been proven or disproven.
Critical thinking is a lot like the scientific method, except it’s done with information rather than experimentation. It is the process of taking in information and then applying an analytical and investigative process to determine its verisimilitude. This process includes weighing up arguments against what you know, researching expert opinions on the matter, weighing these opinions against available data, checking the research methods used, accounting for possible bias, and being informed of the context of any claims made.
For example, the claim “The sky is not blue” is very different to “The atmospheric composition of the sky makes it appear blue.” One is a quantitative, general statement that asserts itself as fact, and the other is a more complex argument, accounting for the base truth in the former statement, while providing clarification on the more complex truth. One is a claim, the other is a critically thought-out fact.
3 – Fact checking
This is not a new process. Journalists have been doing it for decades. Television game shows have entire teams of fact-checkers to verify the correct answers on their quizzes. Fact-checking is essential to understand whether what you’re reading is reality or propaganda.
There is a wealth of fact-checking tools and websites that do the research behind claims released to the public and verify how truthful they are. However, it’s also possible to fact-check yourself, simply by researching the claim that you’re unsure of. Remember to always read industry expert opinion, and only trust claims backed up with listed sources. Then check the veracity of those sources.
After all, spreading an opinion based on erroneous research is still spreading misinformation.
Future
It’s difficult to know what the future holds. With openly defiant groups like QAnon and others that generate huge followings, it can often be difficult to picture the future with any degree of positivity. However, there is still time, and if people trust experts, apply a self-critical process, and check facts there is no reason why fighting back against fake news and propaganda can’t be done. We have the information, we have ease of access, and humanity is smart. Finding the truth is only as difficult as you believe it is.
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