The reality is that many news items painted as “fake” by persons of
power aren’t fake at all. Even the most powerful people in the world can’t
make a genuine news story fake just by saying so. Just because you don’t
like something doesn’t mean it’s fake. You may not like rainy weather, but
your opinion doesn’t stop it from raining. Opinions are not facts.
Facts do not become less true just because someone doesn’t like
them. Yet dubbing a legitimate story “fake” can be a very effective
political tool, especially if done repeatedly over time. A public figure
who doesn’t like a particular news story that is truthful may smear
the story as “fake news” and the source as part of the “fake news
media.” The repeated use of the label “fake news” can cast doubt
on the truthfulness of a story, the motives of the news organization
that produced it, and the truthfulness of other stories produced by the
same organization.
POLITICAL LABELS
In the political arena, fake news comes out of different ideological camps.
The terms
conservative and right wing
describe politicians and others
who tend to hold traditional views about marriage, religion, family, gender,
and patriotism. They generally want to see smaller government with
fewer social programs and less overall spending. They usually believe
that the ideal family consists of a married heterosexual couple and their
children. The terms
liberal, progressive
, and
left wing
refer to those who
tend to have flexible views about marriage, family, religion, and other
social norms. This group tends to support larger governments that offer a
range of social programs and are willing to spend money to support them.
In the twenty-first-century United States, most Republicans represent
a conservative view, while most Democrats represent a liberal one. And
within each party are differences of opinion, with some members holding
more extreme views.
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