Media and Society: The Problem of Too Much Fake News
Is the era of fake news becoming too dangerous for our families today? As Jones (2013) notes, communication media in the digital world is a powerful tool that we all must be mindful of lest we risk using it poorly and causing more harm than good. With the recent news faux pas involving a group of high school Catholic boys being harassed by a group of protestors yet getting blamed by news media right and left, getting “doxxed” by celebrities calling for blood, and receiving death threats all over an incident blown completely out of proportion, we as a community have to stop and consider how we allow the media to dictate the terms by which we live our lives. This paper will explain why we have to get a better handle on the problem of fake news before it really gets someone injured.

Yes, social media is here to stay, for good and for bad. It is a tool that we can use to spread information quickly, correct mistakes, and get the truth out there. And thank God for that—without social media users uploading the full video of the Covington Catholic boys being approached by the Native American and being harassed by the Black Israelites, we would not have had the complete story and the evidence that exonerates them of all name-calling and vilifying that they have endured since the mainstream media broke this “fake news” a few days ago. At the same time, social media can be used to spread lies, errors, hate, and calumny—and that is one of the big downfalls that we have to face. We have to remember, however, that we are dealing ultimately with failings in human nature—failings that cannot be bred out of us, or manipulated out of our behavior. We are a flawed people—but we are also a people who have the ability to rise above and be better, individually and as a community. This paper will argue that in order for us to use media wisely and effectively, we have to bring back the kind of objective journalism and respect that use to be commonplace in the field: we have to end the...…on spreading hate no matter what) the time when the truth was made known—when the full video showing the antagonists marching up to the boys and confronting them, rather than the other way around as the mainstream media outlets tried to get us to believe. So let no one say that the truth does not matter or that the truth cannot be known. This recent event shows us that the truth can be known and that we need honest media users to make that truth known and to defend it, no matter what their politics or social or cultural beliefs are. The truth is reality, and we make up our minds about society and politics and culture based on what we learn of reality. That is why this is so important.

In conclusion, we need the media: it helps us to communicate and spread knowledge and information. But we also need honest reporting. We need honesty in the media. We need to hold our media outlets accountable when they lie and harass and contort the truth or fail to fact check. We need accountable—and you the people can…