Page 10 - Sharing Posts: The Spread of Fake News

leader Mitch McConnell. As Obama laments, “We start accepting
only information, whether it’s true or not, that fi ts our opinions.” 34
Reading fake news items can push people to see only the
worst in the opposing party and its candidates. As a result, fake
news tends to increase political polariza-
tion by widening the differences in opin-
“We start accept- ion that exist in any democratic society.
ing only information, This polarization leads to a breakdown
whether it’s true or not, in meaningful communication between
that ts our opin- people who disagree. In a world where
ions.” 34
the opposition is evil by defi nition, it be-
— Then–US president Barack comes diffi cult for lawmakers from one
Obama party to work with—or even associate
with—lawmakers from the opposition. As
the negativity and hostility of fake news items drive people apart,
political gridlock becomes normal—and the chance of bipartisan
action essentially disappears. Few people would argue that this
is a positive development for society.
And as partisanship increases, the impact of fake news in-
creases as well. Fake news items play into the assumption, held
by many, that lawmakers from the opposing party are out to de-
stroy America. Someone predisposed to hate and distrust Hill-
ary Clinton, for example, is primed to accept false accounts that
Clinton’s campaign was funded in part by drug runners from
Mexico—a widely circulated rumor originating on a fake news
website in 2016. In the same way, a voter already convinced
that Donald Trump is the worst president the nation has ever
seen will have little trouble believing fabricated claims that Trump
eliminated funding for a suicide hotline for veterans—a fake news
item from Trump’s early days in offi ce. In this way fake news
helps feed the cycle of suspicion and hostility. It is a signifi cant
part of the problem.

Two Sets of Facts
The divisiveness associated with fake news, however, leads to
even bigger issues. Throughout American history people have of-
ten expressed sharply differing opinions. That is natural for any
country, especially one as populous and diverse as the United
States. But it is also valuable for a nation to have a range of opin-

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