NOW, THIS: Fake news and fact checks

“Great power rivalries play out in many arenas, but in the crucial aspect of communication, the competition to define what is and is not ‘fake news’ is one of the most visible to global publics.”

Brian McNair, Fake News: Falsehood, Fabrication and Fantasy in Journalism, 2017, p.22

STUDIO PROMPT

Within a media landscape that is increasingly permeated by live news coverage (via both traditional broadcast technologies and new media technologies), what is the importance of fact-checking and what are the possibilities for presenting a fact-check in a visually creative manner? 

DESCRIPTION

In the so-called ‘post-truth’ era, the need for careful and considered fact-checking has become more important than ever. Various forms of broadcast, print, and online media have sought ways to combat and engage with accusations of ‘fake news’; this drive towards accountability and factual accuracy is not new, but has perhaps taken on a new sense of urgency. Fact-checking, which aims to present an objective assessment of a claim or story, holds not only politicians and public figures accountable, but media institutions as well. Everyone, from news presenters, to late night hosts and comedians, to social media users, performs fact-checking in a variety of ways. In a media landscape consistently permeated with live and breaking news coverage which we can access through various of screens and sources, it becomes more important than ever to consider how and why we fact-check.  

 

See RMIT ABC Fact Check

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