ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 News in crisis: The fake news crisis: ‘Fake news’ is not new—it dates back to Roman times—and through the ages has usually been used to push a cause or individual. During conflicts it is often used to maintain support for the troops ‘over there’ among the ‘folks back home’. But it took on a more insidious tone during Donald Trump’s presidency. He used the term to dismiss any story critical of him or his policies. He used it in his almost daily Twitter and public attacks on the mainstream media. Trump’s stance emboldened the leaders of less democratic nations to use accusations of ‘fake news’ to justify their repressive actions against their local media. This chapter attempts to define the term by drawing on numerous examples, from Trump and other sources. It also examines his frequent use of fake news in propaganda and disinformation campaigns. The chapter also looks at ‘fake news’ as an ideology, and asks: How does so much ‘fake news’ make it into the mainstream media? Finally, it offers some brief advice on how to identify ‘fake news’ and ends with some questions for tutorial discussion.
