By Jami Fullerton, Oklahoma State University; Alice Kendrick, Southern Methodist University; and Lori Melton McKinnon, Oklahoma State University
Without doubt, we live in a world where information—accurate or not—spreads rapidly. The spread of misinformation is nothing new. However, a convergence of factors in today’s digital society has resulted in a range of challenges involving the origin, dissemination, veracity… More
By Hernando Rojas and Kwansik Mun, University of Wisconsin – Madison
The circulation and adoption of “fake news” and misinformation are detrimental to the functioning of any democratic system. In the communication ecosystem of the 20th Century, centralization in the distribution of information, and professional practices by journalists, sought to keep misinformation at bay.
By Michele Ewing and Cheryl Ann Lambert, Kent State University
In 2017, Kay Jewelers was falsely accused of replacing customer diamonds with fake stones. New Balance received vocal white supremacist support because of a high-level executives’ falsified expression of support for Presidential policies. The CEO of PepsiCo was accused of rejecting customers who voted for Trump… More
By Leticia Bode, Georgetown University; Melissa Tully, University of Iowa; and Emily Vraga, George Mason University
During the 2016 United States presidential election campaign, the term “fake news” rose to prominence in popular culture and conversation. The realization that people and groups were intentionally creating, disseminating, and popularizing “news” stories that were deliberately fake—not based on any facts… More
