Analysing Journalism Week Five Journalism in a digital
- Slides: 27
Analysing Journalism Week Five Journalism in a digital “post-truth” world
‘Post Truth’ Journalism • To explore the debates around a ‘post-truth’ era and ‘fake news’ • To offer some explanations for this development • To apply themes and concepts from the module in order to analyse the issues that arise for journalists
A brief history lesson. . . • ‘Fake news’ is not new. . . • The notorious ‘Zinoviev Letter’ before the 1924 General Election • More recently. . . • The Sun 13 th March 1986
So what is new? • The arrival of digital technologies – which democratises production technologies • Together with the development of the World Wide Web • Now the circulation of information including ‘fake news’ is hugely accelerated • But that has been part of every day life since the early 2000 s
So what is new? : economics • More important changes relate to the reverberations from the 2008 financial crash • Incomes and wages decline across all developed countries • Most severe recession since 1880 s (including 1930 s) • Very limited economic growth and ‘austerity politics’ • Fertile soil for more extreme beliefs
So what is new? : politics • • The political centre ground begins to collapse More ‘extreme’ parties and politicians flourish Political beliefs become more polarised As in previous periods of economic depression there is a search for social groups to blame
So what is new? Legitimation Crisis • Habermas (1975) • Predicted late capitalist societies would undergo a series of crises • Political and legal institutions would increasingly struggle to secure public consent • In the UK : 1980 s miscarriages of justice, 1990 s Royal Scandals, 2003 WMD and the Iraq War, 2009 MPs expenses, 2011 Phone Hacking, Brexit NHS etc. • Many key UK institutions experienced successive “legitimation crises” • Public disenchantment. . And scepticism
‘Wild ideas’ and Conspiracy Theories • Public disenchantment leads to either: • Growing refusal to believe in anything. . . • Or a growing willingness to believe almost anything. . . • Which poses problems for news journalism • What happens when ‘the rational’ and rational evaluative or critical criteria are eroded?
Conspiracy Theory: Food Scares • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Uvj. ICTmbai A • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=wuvrl. Ew. Wt Ps • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Uw 65 n 3 aj. Z u 4 • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=M 2 Vn 0 o. VKl 3 k
e. g. The new world order? • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=znx. Wfh. JOP 0 E • Alex Jones is a US right wing radio presenter • The Bilderberg Group invites leading intellectuals and policy makers to meet annually • A conspiracy theory suggests that the Group is part of a New World Order that controls everything and poisons the water supply • Many right wing US Christians and Trump supporters believe the Clintons are part of it • How should journalists approach this?
Alt-Right Politics • Politics which refuses an evaluation according to ‘rational criteria’ • ‘Post-truth’ where affect (emotional appeal) is more important than evidence or ‘truth’ • Far right or ‘alt right’ populist and authoritarian • http: //www. breitbart. com/
Satire over Journalism • Digital technologies allow anyone to become • a satirist. . . Or. . . A journalist. . . Or both • So lines are blurred • e. g. Paul Horner • But sometimes his ‘stories’ are believed and re-mediated by. . . • Trump supporters (amongst others) • Note the structure of society Knowledge continuum Paul Horner
On-line Satire sites and Fake News Obvious (? ) satire sites but Paul Horner and the National Reporter may not be so – http: //dailycurrant. com/ – http: //www. theonion. com/ – http: //nationalreporter. co. uk/ • But also in Macedonia teenagers at a local IT college they can monetise US fake news for big profits • Worldpoliticus. com • Driven through social media (Facebook & Whats. App)
Putin and Russia • Peter Pomerantsev ‘Nothing is True and Everything is Possible’ • The power of President Putin and the Oligarchs • Most television channels and most newspapers controlled • But opposition, criticism and dissent are. . Encouraged? https: //granta. com/why-were-post-fact/
Vladisav Surkov A ‘political technologist’. . . “My portfolio at the Kremlin and in government has included ideology, media, political parties, religion, modernization, foreign relations and innovation, and. . . modern art”
Surkov’s Influences • Western abstract art especially Jackson Pollock – Joy Division and. . . • Postmodern theory, especially Baudrillard
Pomerantsev argues. . . • Surkov created and funds • Conservative and Russian Orthodox Parties • Far right skin head groups like the Russian National Unity Party and the Donbas fighters • But also liberal and centre left parties and campaigning groups opposed to homophobia
Pomerantsev argues. . . • In this way Russian can still be presented as a democracy • There appears to be debate and dissent though never around issues that threaten the oligarchs or Putin • Surkov uses his ‘postmodern’ political technology to construct Russian politics • Intellectuals abandon the search for truth and embrace relativism • Despite the regular murder of journalists and opponents. .
The ‘Fake News’ US Election • Trump: a ‘post-truth’ political strategy? • Alt Right and conspiracy theorists circulate claims that Obama was a Muslim in 2007 • ‘Birthers’ first claim that Barack Obama was not a US citizen in 2007 and Trump circulates these claims demanding to see Obama’s birth certificate in 2008 during Obama’s successful campaign • Obama produces his US birth certificate • Trump claims that Hilary Clinton started the ‘birther’ rumours
The ‘Fake News Election’ • New Order conspiracy theorists & Ultra right circulate stories about Hilary Clinton’s ‘criminality’ – allegations include running a paedophile ring for Saudi princes • FBI launch Clinton email security investigation • Wiki – publishes evidence provided by Russian hackers (? ) – Clinton and top Democrats conspired against Clinton rival Bernie Saunders • Trump makes ‘crooked Hilary’ key election issue and pledges to ‘lock her up’ during the televised debates • Trump elected announces no plans to investigate Clinton
The ‘Fake News’ President • Trump claims he lost the popular vote due to 'illegal voters' Er. . . No evidence • Trump claims the numbers 'watching' his inauguration were bigger than the protest Do the photographs settle the argument?
Trump and the Moscow Hotel • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=o. Yw. Bn. V 81 Qio • BBC Newswatch Discussion
Theory and Practice: what to do? • One problem: recent academic fashions have encouraged a sceptical approach to ‘realist’ or positivistic epistemological claims • e. g. Social Constructionism, Discourse theory, Postmodernism • This also applies to news journalism • And within journalism some journalists have long advocated value based practice • e. g. ‘Gonzo’ journalism and empathetic journalism
Theory and Practice: what to do? • But these approaches do not provide a solution to the ‘fake news’ problem • Others call for more effective ‘fact checking’ • e. g. Nick Davies ‘Hackattack’ • e. g. Mark Thompson (former Head of BBC News and DG) • Others promote a more engaged ‘public journalism’ that tries to educate the public Dzur, A. (2002) ‘Public Journalism and Deliberative Democracy’ Polity. 34(3), Spring.
Theory and Practice: what to do? • Others argue that the term ‘fake news’ should itself be understood as a fake piece of rhetoric 'fake news as rhetoric‘ • The examples examined relate to the leading nations, what happens elsewhere fake news is also an issue? • What do you think? • Consider how this relates to the lectures on news production, sources, and objectivity and balance. How? • How Channel 4 has approached this issue and discuss. . • https: //www. channel 4. com/news/fake-news-debate
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