Fake News: Fighting Fake News is Not the Answer (the New Yorker)

In an article for the New Yorker Masha Gessen explains how fighting fake news might not be the way to save democracy as although the distribution of fake news has increase, and engagement is high that doesn't always mean people actually believe what they read as 'roughly eight per cent' actually believe the stories they read. In relation to those who do believe the stories they read, about 10% sought out more fake news, reading an average of 33.16 fake news stories about the 2016 presidential election. One theory of fake news in America is based on there being two information bubbles 'one might reasonably expect half the population to buy Trump’s incessantly repeated line that the bill constituted a tax cut for the middle class. One would also expect roughly half the voters to support repealing the Affordable Care Act.' However the opposition to the tax reform bill in the US shows that facts are more important than appealing to emotions to some extent as the 'majority of Americans support Obamacare and do not support the tax law is proof that accurate reporting still matters'.

This view of  fake news is very interesting as it contradicts the other articles I've read on the topic which typically state that lots of people fall for fake news whereas this article suggests that people are actually more engaged, making it easy to recognise fake stories. In order to further this research I plan to conduct a survey to see how many people believe fake news stories compared to those which are true.