Fake News? or Fake News.

For some, watching the broadcasted news is a daily ritual, but for others like myself, accessing news through social media and word of mouth is much more appealing. However, how do we know if what we are reading or hearing is reliable? Who even owns it? And does this matter?

Image Source: (Giphy, 2022)

My parents have always told me to take the news I see on the internet with a grain of salt. I never realised how true this is, especially now that I'm older and questioning who actually owns this stuff. Now, news is everywhere. Everywhere you scroll, look, and listen. Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook (owned by Mark Zuckerberg) and Twitter (owned by Jack Dorsey) are feeding us this constant stream of articles. So, distinguishing between what is real and what is fake can be difficult for most readers.

Here's the thing with accessing news through social media. Some sources of news such as BuzzFeed (owned by Jonah Pereti) and Daily Mail (owned by Jonathon Harmsworth), are widely known for producing 'fake news'. According to a 2019 article by The Guardian, Jim Waterson wrote

"Microsoft’s internet browser is warning users not to trust the Daily Mail’s journalism as part of a feature designed to fight fake news."

However, in some cases, it is harder for social media users to escape unreliable sources then simply ignoring certain publishing companies.

Image Source: (Giphy, 2022)

As we engage with posts, our feed recognises the ideas, groups and beliefs that interest us through confirmation bias, which in turn can lead to the reinforcement and circulation of potentially unreliable news targeted to the viewer. This concept is referred to as Echo Chambers, which are heightened in presence on Twitter (Bouvier, 2022). Therefore, the actual owners of these media platforms doesn't really matter when judging the reliability of an article.

Alternatively, major owners of media outlets such as Fox Corporation chairman and News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch, has also been in the spotlight of fake news. Murdoch inherited the ownership of Adelaide Newspapers from his father, whilst his son Lachlan Murdoch is the Co-Chairman of News Corp, sustaining their media empire. An article by The Guardian wrote,

"viewers of Fox News, including the president of the United States, have been regularly subjected to misinformation relayed by the network – false statements downplaying the prevalence of COVID-19 and its harms" (Gitlin, 2020)

That just goes to show, that no matter who the owners of these media outlets are, fake news will manage make an appearance, so it is up to research to determine the trust we put in these sources. The ACMA Media Interests Snapshot exhibited below, is a current representation of the various owners of Australian media outlets alongside the Murdoch's.

Media Interests Snapshot Source (Australian Communication and Media Authority, 2022)

Yesterday it was April Fools day, so fake news was amplified. I think I got played at least 3 times on Facebook. Fashion brand, Princess Polly released a Facebook post to their Insider Group stating they were "rebranding", paired with an image of some questionable and outdated logo designs to say the least. The graphic designer inside of me squirmed, before heading to the comments and realising it was a joke. It put in perspective how easy it is to believe everything I see on social media.

Whilst I do put more trust in accredited news sources such as The Sydney Morning Herald or ABC over BuzzFeed or Daily Mail, at the end of the day anything can be manipulated to engage audiences. So, remember to take the news you see in the media with a grain of salt, regardless of who owns it.

REFERENCES

Bouvier, G 2022, ‘From “echo chambers” to “chaos chambers”: discursive coherence and contradiction in the #MeToo Twitter feed’, Critical discourse studies, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 179–195.

Waterson, J 2019, Don’t trust Daily Mail website, Microsoft browser warns users, The Guardian, accessed on 2nd April 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/jan/23/dont-trust-daily-mail-website-microsoft-browser-warns-users

Gitilin, T 2020, Rupert Murdoch, Fox News’ Covid-19 misinformation is a danger to public health, The Guardian, accessed on 2nd April 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/09/rupert-murdoch-open-letter-journalists-coronavirus-fox-news