At the Rose Cafe, the guest speaker Professor Schwartz discussed the concept of fake news and how it affects us. I thought his talk was very interesting and I was able to hear the opinions of fellow students on the topic of fake news. Fake news is an important topic in today’s news output and information, influencing our knowledge of current events. Notably, fake news has played a role in the spread of information in the most recent presidential election and other major political events. A widely accepted piece of fake news could be taken for reality, leading to changes in public opinion or changes in election votes as a result. Professor Schwartz discussed credible news sources and how even the most accurate news sources can still make mistakes and errors in the news that they present. As a result, we have to be mindful of the media that we see and the news that we read. I thought this was a meaningful reminder of the importance of understanding our news sources and what they may be presenting. 

In addition, I think that people commonly think of fake news in relation to political issues, however Professor Schwartz explained how fake news can be applied to many other areas of our lives. In general, fake news can be thought of as extremely twisted information and lies, which can relate to our social lives and academics. Spreading false information about other people or hearing about untrue academic information can also be thought of as fake news. It can be extremely detrimental and frustrating to handle the lies spread by fake news. I think that understanding how fake news is a part of our lives can help us be more aware of the wealth of information that surrounds us and what we see online. We can be more cautious of the information we see or hear about and work on spreading information about the truth, rather than fake news.