What is fake news?

               If you’ve been on social media at any point in the past 18 months, you probably saw the word “fake news” floating around. According to the Cambridge Dictionary it means “false stories that appear to be news, spread on the internet or using other media, usually created to influence political views or as a joke” (Cambridge Dictionary). Contrary to what Donald Trump claimed in an interview with CNN recently, he did not invent the term ‘fake news’ (Cillizza, 2017). References to ‘fake news’ were found in British newspapers from the end of the 19^th century: ‘Secretary Brunnell Declares Fake News About His People is Being Telegraphed Over the Country’ is the title of a newspaper article by the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune from June 7^th 1890 (Merriam-Webster, 2017). The word ‘fake’ from a “flash” (slang) language meaning ‘counterfeit’ appeared to be used in the 18^th century by criminals in England (Cillizza, 2017).

                The mention can be found in literature as well. In George Orwell’s 1984, the protagonist Wilson Smith works at the Ministry of Truth for the Party of Big Brother. He falsifies news accounts as a profession. Many people disappear throughout the novel, while news gets falsified and records appear to be clean. Characters in the novel know that the news is distant from reality but they do not remember any time when it has been different in their past. Language defines thought: people’s memory runs out and there is no real news account to remind them of the horrors their government is responsible for (Wordpress, 2017). That way, the government controls them and can keep profiting. Governments throughout history have used fake news to dull their people so as to go along as they please, often massively profiting from their nation’s workers. After talking about the dangers of fake news I’ll examine cases of governments using it for their personal gain. 

                                                                  WORKS CITED

Cillizza, C. (2017, October 26). Donald Trump just claimed he invented 'fake news'. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/08/politics/trump-huckabee-fake/index.html

Fake News and George Orwell’s 1984. (2016, December 10). Retrieved November 16, 2017, from https://katharineotto.wordpress.com/2016/12/10/fake-news-and-george-orwells-1984/

Fake news Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2017, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fake-news

How Is 'Fake News' Defined, and When Will It Be Added to the Dictionary? (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2017, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-real-story-of-fake-news