A poll released this week shows Americans trust Fox News more than any other television news network. The notion that Americans trust Fox more than any other network demonstrates one of two things: Either Americans are very dumb, or the quality of television news across all networks is very poor. Regardless, it demonstrates that the fourth estate needs serious work.
Honestly, who can blame Americans when they’re bombarded with an array of satirical news websites and other sites with sources and headlines so dubious even the most casual observer of the news wouldn’t be able to separate fact from fiction? Yet the proliferation of bogus news creates a warped sense of reality for those who can’t differentiate between what’s real and what’s not.
On the same day Quinnipiac released its poll about Fox, someone posted a link on Facebook from one of those dubious news sources. The website claims to have insider information that President Barack Obama will shoot down Israeli jets if they attack Iran.
Source?
Zbigniew Brzezinski — Jimmy Carter’s former national security adviser — allegedly said this in an interview with the Daily Beast, but the website — Yournewswire.com — provides no link to the interview, and they somehow connect the alleged quote to Obama. Why? Brzezinski supported Obama in 2008, therefore Obama wants to shoot down Israeli jets.
Another fun — or frustrating — example of faux news circulating the web is a report that Michelle Obama never gave birth to Sasha and Malia, the Obamas’ two daughters. Yes, the first family is bogus because a so-called news website can’t find records of the Obama daughters on Ancestry.com or GenealogyBank.com; nor has anyone allegedly seen pictures of a pregnant Mrs. Obama. Well, that does it! Clearly, the Obama kids are lizard people, sent here by the Obamas’ alien overlords to ruin America, destroy patriotism and steal your guns — thus leaving you defenseless when those aliens invade.
For some reason, the average social media user can’t seem to differentiate between real news and fake news, which creates a sizable problem if the country wants to actually solve problems. Additionally, it raises a serious question: Would the country be better off if citizens were completely uninformed rather than misinformed?
The Internet is an incredible, powerful tool that links us all, but the web has a dark, sinister side filled with falsehoods. Anyone can set up a website, post fabricated news and build an audience who shares the website’s stories on Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and the awful comments sections featured on every news website. The lines between fact and fiction are blurred in the race to go viral. Yes, citizen journalism is important — especially in parts of the world where a free press doesn’t exist — but accuracy matters.
Our news goes beyond ideological and partisan affiliations at this point. It represents something far more dangerous: an age of the misinformed. Fox News may push a lot of ideological commentary disguised as news, but we all know they’re presenting news from a conservative point of view. Doing this provides them with ratings and an audience, even if in the process it’s convinced Grandma that Obama is from Kenya and wants to destroy the U.S.
It’s difficult to filter through the garbage, but if we want to better our country, it would behoove us to develop the ability to sift through the lies and exaggerations. A chain letter from your crazy uncle pushing an outrageous claim about Obama’s birthplace is one thing, but when the rubbish infiltrates the masses via duplicitous websites, we have a serious problem. We all know the Daily Show, Colbert Report, Last Week Tonight and the Onion are satirical, but this isn’t about satire — it’s about websites engaged in subterfuge, confusing and misinforming Americans.
Shove aside the lies and exaggerations told by talking heads like Brian Williams and Bill O’Reilly. Sure, it’s a juicy story, but their lies pale in comparison to the gossip and fabrications sold as hard news. Don’t believe me? Scroll through your Facebook or Twitter feed today and tell me how many stories you see posted from questionable websites. The number may shock you.
Joel Mendelson is a second-year UF graduate student in political science. His column appears on Fridays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 3/13/2015 under the headline “Influx of fabricated news leads to misinformed society"]
