Real deal with fake news
OF late, fake news has become the topic of discussion among politicians, academics and religious preachers in our country.
We are given the impression that fake news has become endemic and threatens the very fabric of our societal matrix to the extent that it has provoked the authorities to resort to legislation. Is the situation so critical that it warrants a law to curb the dissemination of news deemed to be fake?
Fake news is nothing new. It has existed since time immemorial, only the means of dissemination has changed. It was known before as gossip based on hearsay that was passed by word of mouth. One needed physical contact to transmit the information, thus news/gossip travelled slowly and was usually confined to family and neighbours within the village.
Such village gossip might have started as a straightforward incident bereft of any scurrilous connotations, but by the time it travelled through the grapevine, the news would have been embellished with personal prejudices and concoctions and ended up being dramatically different from the original.
Another form of fake news is rumourmongering, which is more serious than just gossip because it may create a state of apprehension and undermine the peaceful existence of a community or country.
Most of the supposedly fake news we read or view today deals with political scenarios and politicians. The fodder for spin writers are usually politicians embroiled in controversies and malfeasance in governance and in the use and misuse of public funds. Even honest and sincere politicians are not spared, but they usually draw the least ire and animosity of the opposite camps. Such news plays on the gullibility of the audience who, according to their political leaning, would accept or discard it.
When one is primed towards certain ideological preferences, one would readily lap up news, fake or otherwise, that is in tune with one’s prejudices. Such fake news can be ingeniously crafted to give a semblance of veracity to create perception and shape opinions to serve partisan interests.
Fake news ranges from those that are intended to mislead to outright lies with fabricated and distorted facts. Even official pronouncements can be misleading when statistical data is presented to create a positive scenario, when in actual fact it does not represent the actual situation.
Then there are cases of malfeasance in the management of property and land matters that are explained in such inane rhetoric. Even journalistic news is not without inconsistencies, especially when dealing with certain subjects.
Politicians have a knack for disseminating information that belies the truth – for example, cherry-picking economic data to create an impression of a sound and robust economy. It is in fact a common occurrence to manipulate data to create positive impressions of certain scenarios that benefit sectarian interests. The data is genuine but the impression created may be misleading.
In the old days, such spins, which travelled by word of mouth, were confined to a small locality and usually filtered off in a few days. And for the most part, people in secluded localities without access to outside information took these pronouncements and claims as gospel.
But nowadays, with such technologically advanced communication devices, news whether fake or real travels in real time through cyber space.
Thus, any official or political statement and assertion is open to immediate scrutiny by both the informed and the gullible, and could spread like wildfire either in its original statement or with embellishments.
Instituting legislation to curb fake news may be effective in the short term, especially with hefty fines and imprisonment. But there is no guarantee it will deter those intent on creating havoc, especially with the availability of technology that could not only anonymously float such news in cyber space but also allow it to be retrieved at will by the masses.
Therefore, trying to curb fake news through punitive action may be cost-prohibitive and an added burden to the already over-stretched bureaucracy.
What is needed is to develop a civic-conscious society that has a trustworthy governance. This would mean that all and sundry, the governed and the government, must show exemplary character in their public and private engagements and not allow room for possible gossip or slander.
We need to aspire towards this ideal. As our society matures politically, economically and intellectually and become more civic-minded, we will be able to tolerate spurious news without being overly defensive or punitive.
However, fake news with an intent to injure the reputation of innocent persons or those that compromise the security of the nation should never be tolerated. MOHAMED GHOUSE NASURUDDIN Penang