This past week I attended the Rose Café with Professor Dan Schwarz, where we discussed the news media, fake news, and the issues surrounding how the news is reported, both historically and today. Our discussion focused on two of the most highly regarded news outlets due to their factual and comprehensive coverage of issues—The New York Times and The Washington Post. I found it interesting, and reassuring, that Professor Schwarz was able to confirm, based on his extensive knowledge and previous writing experience, that these news organizations were indeed real, truthful news sources, especially during this time where the President of the United States claims The New York Times and The Washington Post are “fake news” because they give him unfavorable news coverage.
What also intrigued me during our discussion was how the definition of fake news can be applied to many different settings. For a student, padding a resume can be considered fake news since it does not accurately reflect the student’s abilities and experiences. Another example mentioned was spreading or not stopping the spread of rumors, which typically are not true and can be damaging to a person. Professor Schwarz used the example of how many people deny that former president Barack Obama was not born in the United States. The spread of this fake news story proved that, no matter how much evidence there is to support something, like all the evidence supporting that Barack Obama was born in the United States, some people will continue to spread this fake news in their daily lives.
This discussion made me more confident in the way I get my news, while also making me aware of the various kinds of fake news out there. I will also continue to be cautious about the news stories I read to make certain I am not spreading any fake news. Overall, the talk by Professor Schwarz made me a more careful consumer of the news, a useful life tool.
This sounds like a very interesting conversation. This issue of “fake news” is very relevant to our country currently. Polling shows that a large proportion of Americans question stories reported by the media: Public Policy Polling, for example, found that 39% of Americans trust the president more than they trust polls. Such a phenomenon is incredibly worrisome- the fundamental facts upon which we must debate and create policy are being called into question. If we can’t agree on the facts, how will we ever solve any problems in our country? One interesting extension of this conversation would be how to combat this epidemic of fake news and how to restore trust in the media again.