It's true; fake news is a problem.

[Revoltingest]

This article seems to support the idea that right wingers lap up fake news like chow hounds while left wingers are like "meh".

Interesting to learn just how profitable something immoral can be in an essentially unregulated market. Maybe we need new government regulation in this area.

Regulating the news....what a great idea!
Would you trust Trump to have such power?

 

[sealchan]

Regulating the news....what a great idea!
Would you trust Trump to have such power?

Well how about regulating what we eat, or smoke?

Such regulation could come with a standard disclaimer so that it would be identified as entertainment rather than news. People who intentionally abuse this could be consequented in some manner.

Fear of excess is not a good argument for trying to reach for balance.

 

[Revoltingest]

Fear of excess is not a good argument for trying to reach for balance.

I must've obscured my point...it was't about excess.
The risk is that judging the cromulence of news we get to
see...or not see...could easily be perverted by political agenda.
This would be at greater risk than regulating food, drink & smokes.

 

[sealchan]

I must've obscured my point...it was't about excess.
The risk is that judging the cromulence of news we get to
see...or not see...could easily be perverted by political agenda.
This would be at greater risk than regulating food, drink & smokes.

Everything is pervertable by political agenda, that is unavoidable. Failing to try to protect against abuse is avoidable and responsible.

The sugar industry may be killing us in the thousands and they are heavily lobbying politicians. Same for the tobacco industry. At least most news doesn't kill us.

A system of knowledge sharing without accountability is a shame on the community that supports it. Socializing, entertaining, making stuff up...fine! Just don't masquerade it as credible news from someone or some organization that will stand behind it.

This is the least we can do for a sense of self-respect as far as differentiating literalism from fantasy in a way that doesn't besmirch fantasy and doesn't confuse reality.

 

[Revoltingest]

Everything is pervertable by political agenda, that is unavoidable. Failing to try to protect against abuse is avoidable and responsible.

I'm just warning to beware a cure which might be worse than the disease.
Government regulation, if it covered all media would create a singular
all encompassing echo chamber. Would necessary dissenting views
be allowed? How would prohibited news be sanctioned....jail for
saying the wrong things?

 

[sealchan]

I'm just warning to beware a cure which might be worse than the disease.
Government regulation, if it covered all media would create a singular
all encompassing echo chamber. Would necessary dissenting views
be allowed? How would prohibited news be sanctioned....jail for
saying the wrong things?

Those are, of course, important questions. But without some oversight we risk manipulation, even panic, over carefully crafted disinformation from within or without. Exposing the source of the information and their methods for having determined that information goes a long ways towards being able to establish trust.

That is why news organizations are so important. They can be evaluated over time based on their behavior. Their bias can become known so that one can be on guard for it.

I think that there is probably a way for us to collectively require some accountability in our public platforms for communication such that we can give ourselves some way to more quickly evaluate the sincerity of a report of the truth.

 

[Revoltingest]

Those are, of course, important questions. But without some oversight we risk manipulation, even panic, over carefully crafted disinformation from within or without. Exposing the source of the information and their methods for having determined that information goes a long ways towards being able to establish trust.

That is why news organizations are so important. They can be evaluated over time based on their behavior. Their bias can become known so that one can be on guard for it.

I think that there is probably a way for us to collectively require some accountability in our public platforms for communication such that we can give ourselves some way to more quickly evaluate the sincerity of a report of the truth.

I'll take the chaos of unregulated news over government managed info & opinion dispensing.