The Consequences of Fake News
If there is one major problem when it comes to journalistic integrity, it is the proliferation of “fake news.” To be defined, fake news is false information that is knowingly pushed to fit a narrative, achieve a goal, muddy the waters, or even incite violence.
Fake news has the potential of producing massive consequences. For example, the infamous “Pizzagate” conspiracy. This particular dissemination of fake news resulted in a man brandishing and firing an AR-15 in Comet Ping Pong Pizza in Washington D.C., under the guise of freeing abused children during the 2016 Presidential cycle. The man, Edgar Maddison, plead guilty in March of 2017 to “assault with a dangerous weapon and transporting a firearm over state lines.” He is currently serving four years in prison for the incident.
While the Pizzagate conspiracy theory originated on the website 4chan, it is widely considered to be a predecessor to the prominent Qanon conspiracy. A conspiracy theory that includes: Satan worship, Democrat-run child sex trafficking rings, and what they call “The Storm.” A day of reckoning where Donald Trump will arrest thousands of prominent people involved in such actions.
While there is no validity or proof of this theory, the lack of evidence does not qualm the fervor of the thousands of individuals who follow “Q.”
Fake news, like the Qanon conspiracy theory are dangerous to political discord due to its power to manipulate elections, sew hostility, and increase polarization. It has the ability to influence individuals into increasingly niche groups, leading to the complete rejection of mainstream information, and increased radicalization.
