By Sir Kay.
On Sunday, December 4, 2016, a shooting incident occurred at a pizza shop in northwestern Washington D.C. during the middle of the day. This was in a busy but peaceful shopping district, and the shop was filled with families. A man brought a rifle into the shop and began shooting. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the suspect was arrested, but the motive for this crime and the circumstances that triggered it were shocking. The pizza shop, called Comet Ping Pong, had become embroiled in a strange situation due to an event that had occurred about one month earlier. There were false tweets widely spread on the net claiming that this pizza shop was the base for a paedophile sex ring involving Democratic Presidential Candidate – Hillary Clinton, a former Secretary of State, and members of her campaign. The operators of the pizza shop began receiving threats from right wing activists who believed that the reports were true. (marubeni.com/research)
Fake news is so dangerous now such that the government is treating it as a matter of national security threat. Untold damage can be unleashed by fake news, which can lead to collapse of stock market, mass shooting, deaths, and the destruction of well-earned reputation. With the advent of social media, fake news spread like wildfire and it’s often almost impossible to curtail.
The phenomenon of fake news is not new. In the book of Matthew 28: 12 – 15, we see the elders of the Jews paying money to some security guards to spread fake news:
And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. 14 And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. 15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
To eliminate fake news, it is essential for the technology companies that operate social media to promote the development of technology to delete fake news, and for the conventional media to report truthful, accurate news. The lack of trust in mainstream medica, the political biasness, the influence of moneybags and interest groups on media and politicians, makes it such that this generation does not trust either the mainstream media, politicians, or the government. With many politicians caught lying and telling half-truth, no wonder fake news is difficult to curtail and even when debunked, it does little for correct people’s perception.
Even traditional media institutions like BBC are no longer trusted by people. In UK, the organisation that has the largest number of people trust is the BBC, and that comes to only 44% while 24% deem it to be ‘neither trustworthy nor untrustworthy’, while 21% consider BBC news to be untrustworthy. The incidents of Princess Diana and Panorama, and that of Sir Cliff Richards, in recent times, might have dealt a huge blow to the reputation of BBC.
Half of Americans in a recent survey indicated they believe national news organizations intend to mislead, misinform or persuade the public to adopt a particular point of view through their reporting.
Why is the reputation of the likes of BBC, CNN, FN, etc very important. It’s important because these were some of the most reputable media one could rely on in the past to give unbiased and truthful news. But that reputation is fast eroding for some of the most trusted media houses, with politics playing a big role in this. For instance, less than 20% of hardcore republicans watch nor believe information coming out from CNN. About the same narrative is true for Democrats and Fox News. In the UK, even the central bank governor lost credibility for warning against Brexit. That’s how truth has been politicised in the world today.
How does all these affect the believer. This should make the believer fix his trust and gaze on the Lord – who alone is the truth and the life. Placing one’s faith in establishments of the world is like grasping at straw at best. Also, we should not allow ourselves to be purveyors of fake news.
These are some of the issues that make fake news thrive and difficult to curtail, because, previously vigorously denials are now coming to life as true. Until there is truth and righteousness in our government and mainstream media houses, nay, in the land, there’s no end in sight for fake news.
As believers, we should always double verify any news before we act on it or share it. Sometimes fake news can injure our faith is we don’t verify and put things into perspective. Sometimes, a news might come out about a pastor or man of God. At such times, instead of being shocked and wondering if there’s something wrong with our Christian faith, we should adopt: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).