Editing Journalism (section)

=== Fake news ===
[[File:20241116 "Fake news" (topic) on Google Trends.svg |thumb |[[Google Trends]] topic searches for "[[Fake news]]" began a substantial increase in late 2016, about the time of the U.S. presidential election.<ref name=FakeNews_GoogleTrends>{{cite web |title=Fake news / topic |url=https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fg%2F1210rwkh&hl=en |website=Google Trends |date=16 November 2024 |quote=Worldwide / 2004 - present / All categories / Web Search }}</ref>]]

"Fake news" is deliberately untruthful information, which can often spread quickly on social media or by means of [[fake news website]]s. 

It is often published to intentionally mislead readers to ultimately benefit a cause, organization or an individual. A glaring example was the proliferation of fake news in social media during the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 U.S. presidential election]]. [[Conspiracy]] theories, hoaxes, and lies have been circulated under the guise of news reports to benefit specific candidates. One example is a fabricated report of [[Hillary Clinton]]'s email which was published by a non-existent newspaper called The [[Denver]] Guardian.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37896753|title=US election: Fake news becomes the news|date=2016-11-07|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-05-26|language=en-GB}}</ref> Many critics blamed Facebook for the spread of such material. Its news feed algorithm, in particular, was identified by [[Vox (website)|Vox]] as the platform where the social media giant exercise billions of editorial decisions every day. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and [[TikTok]] are distributors of disinformation or "fake news".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/new-money/2016/11/6/13509854/facebook-politics-news-bad|title=Mark Zuckerberg is in denial about how Facebook is harming our politics|work=Vox|access-date=2018-05-26}}</ref> [[Mark Zuckerberg]], the CEO of Facebook, has acknowledged the company's role in this problem: in a testimony before a combined Senate Judiciary and Commerce committee hearing on 20 April 2018, he said:<blockquote>It's clear now that we didn't do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm as well. That goes for fake news, foreign interference in elections, and hate speech, as well as developers and data privacy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/04/09/facebook-chief-executive-mark-zuckerberg-to-captiol-hill-it-was-my-mistake-and-im-sorry/|title=Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Capitol Hill: 'It was my mistake, and I'm sorry.'|last1=Timberg|first1=Craig|date=2018-04-09|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=2018-05-26|last2=Romm|first2=Tony|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref></blockquote>Readers can often evaluate credibility of news by examining the credibility of the underlying news organization.

The phrase was popularized and used by [[Donald Trump]] during his [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|presidential campaign]] to discredit what he perceived as negative news coverage of his candidacy and then the presidency.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/5/9/17335306/trump-tweet-twitter-latest-fake-news-credentials|title=Trump finally admits that "fake news" just means news he doesn't like|work=Vox|access-date=2018-11-26}}</ref>

In some countries, including [[Turkey]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Turkey: COVID-19 pandemic increases climate of fear for journalists |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/05/turkey-covid19-pandemic-increases-climate-of-fear-for-journalists/ |work=Amnesty International |date=1 May 2020}}</ref> [[Egypt]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Egypt is more concerned with controlling information than containing the coronavirus |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-egypt-is-more-concerned-with-controlling-information-than-containing/ |work=The Globe and Mail |date=3 April 2020}}</ref> India,<ref>{{cite news |title=Journalists detained, assaulted in India during COVID-19 lockdown |url=https://cpj.org/2020/04/journalists-detained-assaulted-in-india-during-cov.php |work=Committee to Protect Journalists |date=28 April 2020}}</ref> [[Bangladesh]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladeshi journalists, cartoonist, arrested for Covid-19 coverage |url=https://rsf.org/en/news/bangladeshi-journalists-cartoonist-arrested-covid-19-coverage |publisher=Reporters Without Borders |date=14 May 2020}}</ref> [[Iran]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Iran: Press freedom violations recounted in real time January 2020 |url=https://rsf.org/en/news/iran-press-freedom-violations-recounted-real-time-january-2020 |publisher=Reporters Without Borders |date=14 May 2020 |access-date=17 May 2020 |archive-date=5 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505210016/https://rsf.org/en/news/iran-press-freedom-violations-recounted-real-time-january-2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Nigeria]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Coronavirus Law Used to Arrest Nigerian Journalist Over Health Story |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/coronavirus-law-used-to-arrest-nigerian-journalist-over-health-story-2020-04-20?mod=mw_more_headlines&tesla=y |work=Market Watch |date=20 April 2020 |access-date=17 May 2020 |archive-date=21 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521204841/https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/coronavirus-law-used-to-arrest-nigerian-journalist-over-health-story-2020-04-20?mod=mw_more_headlines&tesla=y |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Ethiopia]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Ethiopia: Free Speech at Risk Amid Covid-19 |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/05/06/ethiopia-free-speech-risk-amid-covid-19 |work=Human Rights Watch |date=6 May 2020}}</ref> [[Kenya]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Protect Kenya's Journalists Reporting on Covid-19 |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/05/04/protect-kenyas-journalists-reporting-covid-19 |work=Human Rights Watch |date=4 May 2020}}</ref> [[Cote d’Ivoire]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Authorities across West Africa attacking journalists covering COVID-19 pandemic |url=https://ifex.org/authorities-across-west-africa-attacking-journalists-covering-covid-19-pandemic/ |work=[[IFEX (organization)|IFEX]] |date=22 April 2020}}</ref> [[Montenegro]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Concern for Rights in Montenegro amid COVID-19 Fight |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2020/03/26/concern-for-rights-in-montenegro-amid-covid-19-fight/ |work=[[Balkan Insight]] |date=26 March 2020}}</ref> [[Kazakhstan]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Kazakh journalists harassed over Covid-19 reporting |url=https://rsf.org/en/news/kazakh-journalists-harassed-over-covid-19-reporting |publisher=Reporters Without Borders |date=30 April 2020}}</ref> [[Azerbaijan]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Azerbaijan: Crackdown on Critics Amid Pandemic |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/16/azerbaijan-crackdown-critics-amid-pandemic |work=Human Rights Watch |date=16 April 2020}}</ref> [[Malaysia]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Malaysian journalist faces six years in prison over COVID-19 Facebook posts |url=https://cpj.org/blog/2020/05/malaysian-journalist-faces-six-years-in-prison-ove.php |work=Committee to Protect Journalists |date=5 May 2020}}</ref> Singapore,<ref>{{cite news |title=Singapore's Fake News and Contempt Laws a Threat to Media, Journalists Say |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/press-freedom_singapores-fake-news-and-contempt-laws-threat-media-journalists-say/6188439.html |work=[[Voice of America]] |date=6 May 2020}}</ref> [[Philippines]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Some leaders use pandemic to sharpen tools against critics |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/coronavirus-crisis-excuses-curbs-free-speech-70177977 |work=ABC News |date=16 April 2020}}</ref> and [[Somalia]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Somali Journalists Arrested, Intimidated While Covering COVID-19 |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/extremism-watch_somali-journalists-arrested-intimidated-while-covering-covid-19/6187794.html |work=Voice of America |date=18 April 2020}}</ref> journalists have been threatened or [[Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic#Efforts to combat misinformation|arrested]] for allegedly spreading fake news about the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].

On 4 March 2022, Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] signed into law a bill introducing [[Russian 2022 war censorship laws|prison sentences of up to 15 years]] for those who publish "knowingly false information" about the Russian armed forces and their operations, leading to some media outlets in Russia to stop reporting on Ukraine or shutting their media outlet.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/03/04/putin-signs-law-introducing-jail-terms-for-fake-news-on-army-a76768 |title=Putin Signs Law Introducing Jail Terms for 'Fake News' on Army |website=Moscow Times |date=4 March 2022 |archive-date=14 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314132340/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/03/04/putin-signs-law-introducing-jail-terms-for-fake-news-on-army-a76768 |url-status=live }}</ref> As of December 2022, more than 4,000 people were prosecuted under "fake news" laws in connection with the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Weir |first1=Fred |title=In Russia, critiquing the Ukraine war could land you in prison |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2022/1205/In-Russia-critiquing-the-Ukraine-war-could-land-you-in-prison |work=CSMonitor.com |date=5 December 2022}}</ref> At least 1,000 Russian journalists have fled Russia since February 2022.<ref>{{cite news |title=1K Journalists Have Fled Russia Since Ukraine Invasion – Report |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/02/03/1k-journalists-have-fled-russia-since-ukraine-invasion-report-a80135 |work=The Moscow Times |date=3 February 2023}}</ref>