Analysing Journalism Week five Post Truth Journalism To

Analysing Journalism Week five

‘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, 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?

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 also allow anyone to become a satirist. . . Or. . . A journalist. . . Or both in a blurred way • E. g. Paul Horner • But sometimes his ‘stories’ are believed and re-mediated by. . . • Trump supporters (amongst others)

On-line Satire sites and Fake News • http: //dailycurrant. com/ • http: //www. theonion. com/ • Obvious satire sites whereas Paul Horner and the National Reporter not so obvious? • But also a long way away in Macedonia teenagers at a local IT college find they can monetise US fake news for big profits • Worldpoliticus. com • USA Daily Politics • Over one hundred sites constructed in just one town (Veles) • Links driven through social media especially Facebook

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?

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 has created and continues to fund • 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 and Alt 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? • While others argue that the term ‘fake news’ should itself be understood as a fake piece of rhetoric 'fake news as rhetoric‘ • What do you think? • This relates to the lectures on news production, sources, and objectivity and balance. How? • Let’s watch how Channel 4 has approached this issue and discuss. .