Page 11 - Sharing Posts: The Spread of Fake News

Improving the Free Press

Not everyone agrees that fake news is an enormous problem. Some observers argue
that the negative effects of fake news are overblown. As these people see it, fake news
may bene t mainstream journalists and publishers in the long run. The argument is that
fake news will motivate mainstream news outlets to improve their product so legitimate
sources are easier to distinguish from fake news. By emphasizing fact-checking, writer
Jay McGregor asserts, traditional news outlets can make it clear that accuracy is essential
to good journalism. Thus, fake news gives legitimate news organizations the chance to
reinvent themselves for the better.
Others look to history. The world, these experts note, has dealt again and again over
the years with hoaxes and disinformation campaigns, and yet civilization has not crumbled.
It is even possible to see fake news as a symbol that the system is working. Americans are
largely free to speak their minds and publish what they like, and putting up with malicious
news articles may be a small price to pay for safeguarding those freedoms. “To my mind,”
writes business leader Michael Rosenblum, “Fake News is not really a problem. It is rather
a function of a free press . . . and that is no bad thing.”
Michael Rosenblum, “Fake News Is Not a Problem—It Is an Opportunity,” Huf ngton Post, November 28, 2016. www
.huf ngtonpost.com.

ion on any given subject. When people listen to alternative per-
spectives, they are given the opportunity to learn and grow. Even
if they do not come to change their positions on any given issue,
their own opinions are made stronger by considering the view-
points of others. As one commentator writes, “Healthy, produc-
tive discussions are necessary to foster growth, tolerance, and
understanding.” Certainly differences of opinion can lead to
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excessive hostility, even violence; but on the whole, honest dis-
agreement tends to strengthen the country rather than weaken it.
Today Americans continue to express differing opinions on
an enormous range of subjects. At the same time, though, they
are increasingly disagreeing even about the basic facts that un-
derlie those opinions. A recent example comes from sports. In
the spring of 2017, Baltimore Orioles outfi elder Adam Jones,
who is African American, said that fans in Boston’s Fenway
Park had yelled racial slurs at him during a game pitting the Ori-
oles against Boston’s team, the Red Sox. Several other African

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