The Pros And Cons Of Fake News

The Braindead Megaphone written by George Saunders analyzes the many negative effects that nowaday news media has on society. He begins by illustrating a scene in which a man disrupts a party and drowns out all voices with a megaphone. Now this imagery is a metaphor in which the megaphone represents the news media such as newspaper, television, radio, and of course the internet. As Saunders narration continues the people at the party soon begin to respond to whatever the man with the megaphone says and even starts to mimic things he does and say. In fact it does not matter what he says as long as the megaphone is in his hand. The reason he is able to dictate the mood of the room is explained by Saunders who states “responses are predicted

In general, the media tends to cover races that are competitive, and the more competitive the race, the more likely it will be covered. Also, when races have the potential to interest viewers in other ways, such as elections in which celebrities run for office, there is a greater chance of media coverage as well. Through the use of paid media, contrast and attack ads, and the internet in general, television and media affect the choice of candidates in presidential elections in multiple ways.

Waking up on a Sunday morning, enjoying a freshly brewed mug of coffee, relaxing at home reading the newspaper… to most Americans, this would seem like an ideal leisurely weekend. This has been a social norm for almost a century up until only recently. Now, we find ourselves lazily staying in bed catching up on social media, text messages, and the occasional news blurb located conveniently within our smartphones. Because of this conveniency, technology has had a considerable negative impact on traditional journalism during the last decade.

In Jason Zinser’s article, “The Good, the Bad, and The Daily Show,” he argues that Americans have dissociated from the conventional mainstream of news into a new program that is often filled with “fake” news, such as the The Daily Show. Zinser questions the ethics and validity of “fake” news sources, since these new programs have gained a considerable amount of popularity that can cause a detrimental effect into peoples’ mentality. Zinser acknowledges that fake news is a method to obtain information from a comical and satirical news source, however Zinser exhorts that, “The question isn’t whether Jon Stewart or the show’s producers and writers are morally corrupt people, but whether or not fake news is, on the whole, beneficial or damaging

After the wiki leaks incident, some citizens feel that the Fourth Amendment was threatened. Large debates have been sparked over this topic, some defending the National Surveillance Agency’s actions as constitutional. The other side, defending the fourth amendment of American citizens. The NSA’s surveillance of American citizens caused a debate over whether or not the Fourth Amendment of the constitution was being violated.

Sexuality and gender identities are also the victims of media misinformation and are often misunderstood by the public because of such. There are also numerous accounts of journalists using improper and incorrect phrases to report on transgender issues (such as inaccurate pronouns or false comments which label sexuality/gender identity as a choice). Jay Poole accurately describes the methods that the mainstream media uses in defining identity when he states that “media representations of identities are dominantly constructed through a heteronormative lens, with traditional gender roles defining how one can or should be masculine or feminine” (279). This not only misconstrues the reality of gender identities but it also misguides children and

In an age of what appears to be increasing insecurity, Americans have to make a choice between being secure and maintaining civil liberties or is it up to the government to decide. Privacy today faces growing threats from a growing surveillance apparatus that is often justified in the name of the national security. Security is privileged over values such as civil liberties after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Because of this horrendous event the national government, began its surveillance attack in hoping to stop another terrorist attack from happening. The government has been trying to rebuild the security that was lost (“Money”). Their plan for doing this involves increasing the surveillance, listening to phone calls, and monitoring

In the wake of the unfortunate events that occurred September 11, 2001, America has been at one of its most fearful points in history. This fear fueled with the medias negative portrayal of Islam and Muslims after 9/11 both helped to create an uninviting attitude towards Muslims. After 9/11, the media formed a negative illustration of Muslims for the viewers who were distraught with the grief from the attacks. In today’s society, people often assume that the media is essentially there to inform. However, over the past couple of years, the media has gone from an informational source to an entertaining take on real current issues

Jay Chiat’s essay in Advertising and Humanity presents his laudatory opinions about the media’s power of persuasion. At first Chiat’s tone seems hostile towards television and the Internet, but shifts to a more appreciative tone. He demonstrates how information can be easily distorted by a fraud hiding behind a computer screen but he also claims the media is an outlet in which ordinary people have the same amount of power to present the truth as someone who is more potent. Chiat argues that media is now a necessity for human nature because it is a form of accessible, free, and truthful communication.

Media plays an ever-increasing role in politics and presidential elections. One of the first major elections in which the media was believed to affect the results of an election was the Nixon-Kennedy election of 1960. On November 12, 1960, just four days after winning the election by a narrow margin, Kennedy said, “it was the television more than anything else that turned the tide (Webley, 2010).” The television highlighted the personality and performance abilities of candidates; even more so than previous mass medias including radio and print. This was an era where only a few channels were accessible to the public and the President had command of the airwaves (Starr, 2010). It was believed by the public that the television unified the nation. Cable television and the Internet would divide the people all over again, bringing media to yet again another historic turning point. Media not only influences political opinion of voters, it determines the behavior of candidates and officials, and it sets public

“Today we live in a society in which spurious realities are manufactured by the media, controlled by governments, by big corporations, by religious groups, and by political groups”, quoted American writer Philip Kindred Dick.

The central theme of media manipulation and the consequences of that are explained and uncovered in Ryan Holiday’s book Trust Me I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator. Holiday offers a brutally honest insight into the world of PR and journalism, one that many people can have trouble accepting and one that makes us doubt every form of media and advertisement around us and exposes the twisted relationship between online media and marketing. In the beginning of the book, Holiday admits that he is a liar, but asks the readers to believe everything he says. As mentioned in an article published by Poynter institute, “He has a point to make, but he 's like the addict warning of the dangers of drugs, all the while snorting a line and shaking his head at how bad it is” (Silverman, 2012). It’s a bold move asking to be trusted after admitting to

Fake news - a phrase that is frequently emblazoned in the headlines. Scandals, false alarms, and of course, Donald Trump’s “fake news awards”. Clearly, fake news plays a huge part in American politics. But what many Singaporeans fail to realise is that fake news is also a pertinent, pervasive, pernicious and perennial problem in Singapore, and it is a problem that needs a solution. We define fake news as false stories that appear to be legitimate and are usually fabricated for political or financial gain. Many members of the public have voiced their concerns over the prevalence and potentially adverse effects of fake news in Singapore.

Media plays a crucial role in shaping a healthy democracy. It is the backbone of a democracy; it makes us vigilant of numerous social, political and economic activities happening around the world. Media has very important roles to play in democracy such as; projecting the problems of the people to the public, and protecting the fundamental rights given in a Constitution. Philip C. Galanis states in his essay The Fourth Estate of The Bahamas “For many decades, there has been historically a tug-o-war between the media and politicians in the Bahamas”. In his essay he explains the importance of the media and its effect on the general public. The media is supposed to be just like a warrior fighting with a pen or like a mirror which shows us or strives to show us the bare truth and astringent realities of life. However, in recent years the media has, like other agencies, come under the influence of politicians. Therefore, the media no more writes about the people’s grievance but in support of the ruling government party. It has been contaminated by political influences. Today, the media has many vital roles in a modern democracy such as; political lies, reviling the truth to the public as well as helping to aid with the hypocrisy of the nation.

One of the major problem in our society may be the over flooding of fake news. Fake news can be identified as the false information within official-looking websites and often can be misleading for readers. Fake news are commonly known for their inconvenience and bias information, those fake news gains tons of attention due to their over exaggerated title and content; and highly spottable on various types of social media such as Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter. Once the fake news go viral and trending the people who created them will obtain money from advertisement. In order to stop or avoid fake news, you should recognize them by their traits.