ABSTRACT

The rise of the fake news meme and its ubiquity in global debate are, on the one hand, a reflection of a real increase in the quantity and quality of 'news' which is, in fact, false, and intentionally so. The fake news phenomenon signals the shift of such figures and their approach to 'truth' into the mainstream of American political culture. Alex Jones, until a US-based conspiracy theorist of many years' standing who had successfully persuaded several million Americans into believing his malevolent fantasies, in the era of fake news is an inspirational figure with "an amazing reputation", in the opinion of the president of the United States himself. Technological and cultural trends have converged around the phenomenon of fake news, creating an environment in which self-proclaimed anti-elite, populist voices seek to undermine public confidence in mainstream journalism.