FAKE NEWS
by Tilly Jackson
1. What Practices are involved in creating the story?
1.1. Use of hyperlinks to reinforce the key points in the article
1.2. Twitter posts from President Trump and other users to highlight how the issue of fake news isn’t something that has come about recently. It has just been given more exposure in the 21st century
1.3. Youtube video to reinforce the idea of 20th century propaganda.
1.4. Research into previous articles that have been posted, videos and social media content.
2. What Does the Story Address?
2.1. The story addresses fake news whilst using the election of Donald Trump as President as an example of how this issue has been given an audience.
2.2. Also addresses the origins of Fake News and how it has evolved over time
2.3. Answers questions readers may have about fake news, but also talks about where to next.
3. Who is it Talking to?
3.1. Consumers with an interest in either politics or news and current affairs, however it does not appeal directly to people that are either pro or anti Trump as the article only uses Trump as an example to give validity to the idea of Fake News but does not expand on his election as President in any way.
3.2. He also draws attention to Hillary Clinton and WikiLeaks which promotes this idea of a politically neutral article which focuses on the idea of Fake News.
4. Other Stories Related?
4.1. Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election --> Russia hired 1,000 people to create anti-Clinton 'fake news' in key US states during election,
4.2. · 2005 Cronulla Riots --> a twisted account of an altercation between a group of Lebanese men and Cronulla lifesavers sparked outrage. In the week of 11 Dec – more than 250,000 text messages were sent and received to draw support on both sides inflaming the riots further.
4.3. 2014 --> the Russian Government used fake news networks to create a counter narrative (an argument that disputes a commonly held belief or truth) after Russian-backed Ukrainian rebels shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
5. ARTIFACT ANALYSIS --> What is Fake News? Its origins and how it grew in 2016.
6. How does the case study relate to the wider debate?
6.1. Discusses the need for action and the US 2016 Presidential Election serving as “a clear mandate to act”
6.2. Reflects on the “decline of mass media’s business models” and the “rise of personalised social feeds” along with “the content that spreads easily within them”
6.3. Delves into ideas/potential solutions to the issue such as hiring editors to manage what shows up in the Facebook Trending section
6.4. Exposes the reality of the situation and the willingness for people to consume fake news - Facebook product designer from 2008-2012 Bobby Goodlatte suggested that “bullshit is highly engaging”
6.5. Explores Facebook’s significant role in the fake news debate - this has created a lot of discussion and debate but most arguments denigrate the “engagement metrics” used by Facebook to “distort the media landscape, allowing clickbait, hyperbole and misinformation” to influence public opinion
6.6. Labels Facebook as a “sewer of misinformation”
7. What Is it?
7.1. Fake news is not as distinct in its definition as it is in its examples. However, to inadvertently define this topic through the use of terms one would be able to identify it as something that is flawed and factually untrue.
8. What's the Problem?
8.1. In the US 62% of adults receive their news via social media in comparison to 52.2% in Australia
8.2. This has sparked increased worry into the Fake News sphere which has been made more accessible due to the rise of social media platforms, specifically Facebook.
8.3. The 2016 US Presidential Election illustrated just how easily accessible information is via social media, despite wether it may or may not be factually accurate.
9. ARTIFACT ANALYSIS --> Mark Zuckerberg Says Fake News On Facebook Didn’t Change The Election
10. What is the story being Communicated?
10.1. That Mark Zuckerberg (the creator of Facebook) rejects the claims that the social network’s promotion of false pro-Trump news articles could have influenced the outcome of the presidential election.
10.2. He contends that voters made decisions based on their lived experience not the fabricated trending news stories they saw on Facebook about Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump.
10.3. Instead Facebook was a forum for voters to connect with their leaders, engage in the political process and share their views.
11. What are the practices involved in putting the story together?
11.1. Gathering quotes from Zuckerberg (ie. his quotes from Techonomy, a science, business, and technology conference)
11.2. Buzzfeed had to uncover who were making the sensational/misleading stories about Clinton and Trump (ie. Macedonian teens)
11.3. Gathering comments from the facebook spokespeople
12. Disciplinary Principles
12.1. Stakeholder interests – the primary audience would be worldwide readers of the global Buzzfeed website
12.2. Medium – informative article posted on Buzzfeed by reporter Stephanie M. Lee
13. Who does the story Address?
13.1. Story addresses whether Facebook’s algorithm-driven trending feature (that promoted false election stories) had an impact on the outcome of the US election
14. Who is involved? Who are the interest Groups?
14.1. The proliferation of fake news affects not only journalists and media professionals but all consumers and readers of online and print media
14.2. The Media Industry
14.3. Social Media
14.4. Editors and Employees of major newspapers and media outlets.
14.5. In terms of interest groups, the appeal of fake news is that ‘anything says, goes’.
14.6. Individuals who exploit the power of the media for their own personal gain
