Fake news is a real problem.
On Wednesday, Jessi Hollis McCarthy held a workshop at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. where she educated young students and aspiring journalists how to detect, process, and understand fake news.
McCarthy said fake news is often used as a “political tool,” and it’s also published for entertainment and advertising purposes. But many times news dubbed as “fake” is actually flawed or biased.
“Biased news is not fake news,” McCarthy said. “Flawed news is not fake news.”
Although fake news is a topic that has become significantly more transparent as Donald Trump has taken office, the spread of false information through news platforms is a problem that has existed long before Trump’s administration.
“Donald Trump is not the first president to have an interesting relationship with the press,” McCarthy said.
She mentioned Theodore Roosevelt’s Muckraker Speech in 1906, where he cautioned the public against media that spreads lies about politicians and public figures.
According to McCarthy, fake news has been around long before the 2016 Presidential election because the First Amendment “protects” fake news, which makes it difficult to regulate.
The Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law… prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom… of the press…”
“The First Amendment is constantly interpreted to have breathing room,” McCarthy said. The press has the freedom to publish anything, despite fabrication.
The only thing the public can do is learn how to properly identify fake, flawed, or biased news by fact checking evidence, researching sources, and taking the time to “dive a little deeper.”
To fact check news articles, use the websites below: