Fake news is not a new phenomenon, says Linda Fekisi, head of the programme for journalism at the Independent Institute of Journalism. However, with the world currently facing a global pandemic, the issue is more prevalent than ever.
“Disinformation and misinformation are one of the long-standing threats to the profession of Journalism,” says Linda Fekisi, head of the programme for journalism at the Independent Institute of Journalism.
Disinformation and misinformation come in various forms. The challenge it produces for journalists is that they find themselves having to compete with content creators and people who are after clickbait profits, masqueraded under the pretence of alternative journalism, she says. Although fake news is not a recent occurrence, the current pandemic has resulted in the increased spread of fake news regarding the virus, which could be potentially threatening to citizens across the globe.
Although fake news is not a new phenomenon, it has been made worse by the increased use in social media platforms. PHOTO: Kesia Abrahams
The rise of social media and fake news
In recent years, fake news has rapidly increased as a result of the expansion of the internet and social media platforms. The term also became “popularised” after Donald Trump, president of the United States of America, started to label different news publications and journalists with this term.
According to Allen Munoriyarwa, a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Johannesburg, the problem with fake news is social media platforms.
“Platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter have done very little, until recently, in curbing fake news. They should, and could, have done a lot more to curb the spread of misinformation and disinformation,” says Munoriyarwa.
Furthermore, it is largely through the distribution of false information on these platforms that we have the fake news problem, he says.
However, Riaan Grobler, a journalist at News24, believes that a combination of factors have contributed to an increase in fake news.
“People have either, in their ignorance, unwittingly shared false information on their social media pages or via WhatsApp, while others have actively created fake news to serve various malicious objectives,” says Grobler.
In addition, social media makes it difficult to regulate or control the sources that people choose to believe, he says.
People have turned away from traditional media sources and are more prone to believe sources that offer alternative information. PHOTO: Unsplash/Markus Spiske
Fake news during the pandemic
While the world is currently battling a pandemic, beyond the shadows, fake news is thriving. As there has been massive news coverage of the pandemic, public interest has increased and, with it, the number of so-called “alternative” platforms for information that are often misleading or baseless, says Grobler.
The spreading of fake news, however, can be linked to ignorance, says Angelo Julies, editor of Eikestadnuus.
“When I say ignorance, I do not refer to the lack of awareness or inattention, but rather the lack of knowledge and understanding of the subject matter [or] topic, [and] in this case, the coronavirus,” says Julies.
If one does not have accurate knowledge about the virus, it is easy to believe whatever you read on the internet, and as a result, hitting the share button becomes the next instinct, he says.
Fake news during the pandemic, however, brings about a string of problems.
Fake news on South African platforms can be reported to the Real411 website. GRAPHIC: Kesia Abrahams
“Misinformation is always problematic regardless of when it is spread, but it can be even more lethal during a pandemic as it causes chaos and spreads unnecessary fear and panic,” says Julies.
According to Munoriyarwa, fake news affects people’s understanding of the pandemic.
“People make decisions on the basis of the information they get. If the information they are exposed to,is fake, then people will not know how to respond to the pandemic, and they may even be misinformed on what governments and other agencies are doing about the outbreak,” he says.
Fake and misleading information regarding the virus threatens the broad national response strategies to the pandemic, says Munoriyarwa.
“[Fake news] puts people’s lives in danger in the sense that people may turn to harmful or less-effective remedies,” he says.
According to an article on Deutsche Welle (DW), members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party convinced numerous Hindu activists that drinking cow urine could prevent contracting Covid-19.
“People are able to call out fake news now because people are not dormant consumers, [they] question what they consume [and] have become media literate,” says Linda Fekisi, head of programme for journalism at the Independent Institute of Journalism. PHOTO: Unsplash/Kayla Velasquez
What journalists can do to help
“Regimes rise and fall on the foundations of fake news,” according to Lian van Wyk, former editor-in-chief of Die Matie, a student publication at Stellenbosch University.
Fake news has the power to influence the way people do things and has been able to manipulate the irrational parts of our minds. It is far more dangerous today than it was a few years ago when social media was not as prevalent, said Van Wyk.
“Public trust in the mainstream media has decreased, owing to high-profile attacks by alt-right individuals and even world leaders such as US President Donald Trump,” says Grobler.
According to a 2019 article for SABC News, 51% of South Africans lack trust in the media. This statement follows a study conducted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in 2019.
Consequently, people are more prone to believe sources that oppose mainstream reporting or offer alternative information, says Grobler.
As watchdogs of society, journalists have the ability to bring the issues of fake news under the attention of citizens.
“Journalists need to refrain from fear-mongering,” says Grobler. Rather, he says, journalists should focus on reporting reputable facts and credible information.
Ensuring good journalism involves being responsible in your reporting and testing all your information before even starting to think about a story idea, says Julies.
Although fake news is a large threat to journalism as an industry, the public is slowly becoming more aware of it.
“People are able to call out fake news now because people are not dormant consumers. [They] question what they consume [and] have become media literate,” says Fekisi.
“We as human beings have always had a problem with fake news,” says Lian van Wyk, former editor-in-chief for Die Matie. AUDIO: Lian van Wyk