4 ms·

> he failed to predict fake news In former days, "fake news" was simply named "propaganda" or "bad/manipulative journalism".

rbanffy 6y ago
Yes, but its ubiquity and political impact was vastly underestimated. We'll pay dearly for that.
- smt88 6y ago
  Considering "fake news" (literally commandeering the media and planting untrue stories) was a tactic used by Hitler and is considered to be a basic tool of authoritarianism, I'd suggest that no one has underestimated its impact. In fact, fake news started WWI.
  - rbanffy 6y ago
    > literally commandeering the media and planting untrue stories We assumed that only happened with state-controlled media, that one would first take control of the State, before taking over the media to sediment it. We weren't prepared to deal with the Murdochs taking control of the State by controlling part of the media.
rfrey 6y ago
I think "fake news" at least started as something a bit different - propaganda sure, but of a particular form, i.e. in the form of a fabricated news event propagated through media channels as if it were true.
- disgruntledphd2 6y ago
  This is not a new thing. The yellow-press journalism of the US happened well over a century ago, and indeed you have papers which talk about Elvis and aliens, which would meet my definition of "fake news". The only thing that changed was the distribution method (i.e. over the internet/social media).
  - rfrey 6y ago
    That's true. There does seem to be some difference though - stories like Elvis Found Alive in Anchorage and Batboy Graduates with MBA were pretty much regarded as entertainment, whereas Clinton Eats Babies and Trump Videotaped Getting Peed On were received as true by large segments of both the population and the media that normally does not make up stories.
    - boulos 6y ago
      American intervention in Cuba due to newspapers absolutely fits the “most people believed it” criterion [1]: > American newspapers fanned the flames of interest in the war by fabricating atrocities which justified intervention in a number of Spanish colonies worldwide. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_of_the_Spanish–American_War https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_of_the_Spanish–Am...

rbanffy 6y ago

Yes, but its ubiquity and political impact was vastly underestimated. We'll pay dearly for that.

smt88 6y ago
Considering "fake news" (literally commandeering the media and planting untrue stories) was a tactic used by Hitler and is considered to be a basic tool of authoritarianism, I'd suggest that no one has underestimated its impact. In fact, fake news started WWI.
- rbanffy 6y ago
  > literally commandeering the media and planting untrue stories We assumed that only happened with state-controlled media, that one would first take control of the State, before taking over the media to sediment it. We weren't prepared to deal with the Murdochs taking control of the State by controlling part of the media.

rfrey 6y ago

I think "fake news" at least started as something a bit different - propaganda sure, but of a particular form, i.e. in the form of a fabricated news event propagated through media channels as if it were true.

disgruntledphd2 6y ago
This is not a new thing. The yellow-press journalism of the US happened well over a century ago, and indeed you have papers which talk about Elvis and aliens, which would meet my definition of "fake news". The only thing that changed was the distribution method (i.e. over the internet/social media).
- rfrey 6y ago
  That's true. There does seem to be some difference though - stories like Elvis Found Alive in Anchorage and Batboy Graduates with MBA were pretty much regarded as entertainment, whereas Clinton Eats Babies and Trump Videotaped Getting Peed On were received as true by large segments of both the population and the media that normally does not make up stories.
  - boulos 6y ago
    American intervention in Cuba due to newspapers absolutely fits the “most people believed it” criterion [1]: > American newspapers fanned the flames of interest in the war by fabricating atrocities which justified intervention in a number of Spanish colonies worldwide. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_of_the_Spanish–American_War https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_of_the_Spanish–Am...