BREAKING (FAKE) NEWS: AN ALTERNATIVE TRUTH
BREAKING (FAKE) NEWS: AN ALTERNATIVE TRUTH

Summary/Abstract: Today, the traditional role of the fourth estate is overshadowed by an offensive phenomenon: fake news. The term  popularized by the former US President Donald Trump  highlights that, nowadays, concepts such as truth or precision may undergo adjustments or interpretations. Some of the reasons why people create fake news are to make money, to deceive or to harm, to influence other people, to cause social disruptions and so on. Among those who create this type of content are a) those journalists who turn from gatekeepers into moneymakers; b) other public persons who use fake news to denigrate other people; c) useful idiots  those naive or credulous people who promote fake news without actually understanding the cause's goal; d) trolls  people paid to create and share fake news in social media, and promote a certain agenda in order to influence other people; e) bots – automated software agents that have a political agenda and try to manipulate via propaganda and fake news. The spread of disinformation through social media has a direct link with phenomena such as ideological polarization or segregation of online users. To stop the fake news phenomenon, it is necessary to focus on transparency, confidence, and media education.

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