Concept in Definition ABC

Although this denomination sounds very modern to us (and, in fact, it is), the phenomenon of fake news (in English, false or falsified news) is nothing new, and we can homologate it with the propaganda or counter-information that has gone using throughout history from terrorist groups to various governments, through all kinds of political groups and communities.

However, in fake news modern, there is a factor that did not exist before: the power of the Internet as a channel of communication.

The fake news They are allegedly manipulated or totally false current affairs, used with a very specific political-social purpose, and which are published mainly in online media.

Before, mount a media required to have economic resources: one rotary and one drafting for a paper newspaper, studios and broadcast licenses for a television or radio channel... With the advent of the Internet, for free we can create a full-fledged communication medium to spread our communications and news.

This has also facilitated the information on the part of some interests; For example, did you know that Pope Francis recommended American Catholics to vote for Donald Trump? In fact, it was published by a website appearance would be... if it weren't for Pope Francis never it ruled on the matter, neither one way nor the other.

The keys to the fake news There are two: on the one hand, the likelihood (they are not exaggerated, but it seems that they may have happened) and, on the other hand, that the medium in which they are published seems serious.

This last point is easy to fulfill: today, a WordPress hosting, and a suitable template, can give us a website that looks as professional as a newspaper such as the New York Times or the Washington Post, even more. And all this for a few dollars.

The first condition is solved with the writing of the news, so that whoever reads it, can believe it.

The objective of fake news It is both trying to convince undecided people towards supported theses, and keeping those who are already followers of those ideas in a bubble of self-conviction.

For example, in Spain some publications have proliferated that, from time to time, explain atrocities committed by Muslim immigrants in other countries, mainly in northern Europe.

Why from Northern Europe? Simple: because, if you want to verify the veracity of the news published by these media, those who try suffer two handicaps: language (They are media written in Swedish, Finnish, German, or Danish, for example) and ignorance of the media in those countries.

Thus, the star phrases of these releases are that “local media claim that [...]”Without explicitly citing the names of these media, as this could contribute to the detection of the hoax.

If one is already inclined to accept that immigration is a problem and that immigrants commit excesses, this type of news will convince you, while they give arguments to those who were already more than convinced of these theses racists.

Unmasking this type of fake news is easy: just search the local media - if you don't understand the language in which they are written, translate them with Google Translate- and, in them, what is said about that news in concrete.

Thus, news of violations or attacks by immigrants are easily dismantled when consulting with the local media from where the events have allegedly occurred or, even, they are looking for in social networks, residents of the place.

Some fake news they are supported by presumed graphic evidence, such as photographs and / or videos. Many of these are manipulated or correspond to other information.

For example, recently, news broke that in an English city, people of Muslim faith had violently urged drivers to leave their vehicles because it was Ramadan, and to prove it, a video.

This video was shown to correspond to other events (specifically, the celebrations of the drunken fans of a soccer team), but taken out of context it was plausible that it could correspond to said news, which reinforced.

The fake news they can also be partial manipulations of real news.

For example, during the demonstrations of citizens in favor of the Catalan independence process, some Declared unionist newspapers illustrated this news with photos of clashes between protesters and policeman... from Germany or the United States. In this way, they could show a supposed violence which, in reality, did not exist.

If there is an exponent of the fake news, this is the current president of the United States of America, Donald Trump.

A clear example of this was one of his speeches, in which, during an anti-immigration tirade, calling immigrants criminals, he exemplified what he meant by “what had happened in sweden”, When nothing had happened in Sweden.

By chance a week later, in Sweden an attack was suffered, it seems that of a Salafist sign, which for many gave the reason to Trump. But, at the time, the president even had to apologize to the government Swedish.

The media that spread fake newsAs well as those who consume them, they are endowed with another argument: the mass media are controlled.

Surely you have heard it sometime: one cannot trust newspapers, radios and televisions, because they are all in the pay of large corporations and governments (which are the pay the advertising of which they live, follow those who resort to this argument). And, who affirms it, always claims to know some or some supposedly impartial media and that they really report what there is.

However, if these people are asked why they trust these other media, they only get strange answers: because yes, because they are independent (without being able to argue much more there).

What means should we trust?

The fake news they are relatively easy to detect, since they are usually spread by only a few. Instead, actual events receive more and better coverage.

The only recommendation is to be selective with the media followed, and contrast the news in several of them.

Photos: Fotolia - Rider / Alexey Bannykh

Topics in Fake News