The term fake news was made popular in the last few years. Now, fake news is a commonly used term by many meant to describe a certain news outlet’s lack of credibility or trustworthiness. People called media outlets fake news as not just a way to question their credibility, but also as a way to voice their personal displeasure about them. Fake news has come to mean more than just the act of providing false information. Fake news also means peddling personal or political bias to rot the minds of the masses and further push a specific agenda.
This sort of behavior or tactic has been around since the inception of media. But it was always a hushed about idea, not so full-blown and out in the open like it is today. In fact, calling an entity out for being fake news has become the norm rather than the exception it once was. There has been a growing distrust between the viewer and the news provider. It would have been better had the news provider adopted an anonymous identity and strictly focused on the news itself. Unfortunately, that is not the case. News providers have becomes brands for the political or financial backing they receive. In the end, when you watch a certain news channel or read a certain news source you are doing knowing that the news comes with a caveat. Or at the very least, the news you are receiving is misconstrued in a way that you are only learning about part of the story or the part that they want you to learn about.
You can see, in this scenario, where there lies a moral conflict and a professional one. News providers should provide the news in an unfiltered and holistic way, rather than the current approach they adopt. And thus dawned the term fake news. As a form to voice disdain and displeasure to the news source and to act of manipulation. It should be a basic human right to be able to access the correct information. For people who are keen on achieving that right, there are ways to do so without having to go through the fake news machine.
There exists a whole world of anonymous authors, independent bloggers and news providers, and journalists who work independently from any big-name corporation or government. This independence allows them to report on the news as they see fit and in total transparency and honest opinion. Finding the right journalist who is well knowledgeable in the field they are reporting or writing about is difficult. But once you find them it will be much better than settling for getting your information from a news provider or media outlet that you know is lying through their teeth, to your face.