Fake News

The fight against fake news

Any politician who uses the words ‘fake news’ to describe something they don’t like from their opponent should be assaulted verbally by people in their own party and fellow parliamentarians – we have to fight for language,” Nick Robinson told an RTS early-evening event discussing false news and alternative facts.

At the event in late February, chaired by former ITN chief executive Stewart Purvis, Robinson argued for the continuation of “impartiality as a legal requirement for television news”.

Channel 4 News' Matt Frei: Facts, lies and Donald Trump

After a year on the campaign trail, Channel 4 News’ Matt Frei knows better than most the risks posed by the new US president, and the difficulties he presents the media.

“For us journalists, the tricky balancing act we have to perform in the next few years is being aware […] we no longer share the same assumptions about wealth creation, liberalism, [and] the nature of democracy [as much of the public],” Frei warns.

What is the future for honest journalism in an era of Fake News?

Robinson, a presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, argued for “impartiality as a legal requirement for television news”. Without it, as in the US where “right wingers watch Fox News and liberals watch MSNBC”, he continued, “there are no shared facts. Good public policy decision-making requires shared facts.”

“What Facebook does, and what separate news channels for different opinions do, is give people the possibility to have their own facts,” added Robinson, a former political editor at both ITV News and the BBC.

Channel 4 announce Fake News week

Fake News

Fake news has become an interesting yet controversial topic that has dominated the internet and it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish what is real and what isn't.

As truth becomes increasingly determined by how many likes, clicks, shares or hits, Channel 4 News will explore where fake news actually comes from and the implications it has in a week long series of interviews and discussions.

What should social media do about fake news and online abuse?

At an RTS event about social media and television, Facebook’s Patrick Walker addressed the charge that his company had done little to stop these stories spreading.

‘We are a platform – we see ourselves first and foremost as a technology company. The mission we have is to connect people and make the world more connected, which is about sharing information,’ he said.