Letter: Fake News? – It Is Mainstream Politicians and Media We Have To Fear

Published on: 3 Mar, 2019
Updated on: 3 Mar, 2019

From John Armstrong

I was very interested to read Claire’s Column – Farewell To Fake News.

If only it were true, but all the time we have a liberal left political establishment supported by a predominantly liberal left broadcast and print media we will have fake news. The only fake (or deemed to be) news to be suppressed or censored will be that generated by ordinary people on social media.

While it is true that journalists pay due diligence to verification disciplines and have integrity when it comes to sources, they can still deliver fake news by what they choose to omit or the expressions they choose to use.

Broadcasting journalists and politicians deliberately employ hyperbole on political shows and indeed in the House of Commons with comments like: “crash out”, “cliff edge” (forgive my Brexit bias) “20-mile tailback” and “catastrophe’, but with no verification, just their opinion, or more likely, their hope for things to come.

So it is mainstream politicians and mainstream media that we have to fear when it comes to fake news, because it is only they, in pursuit of their political enemies, that have the power and the facility to reach a global audience, while those on social media, be they innocently outraged or miscreant, only have their followers.