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The Real Story: Is 'Fake News' a Threat to Democracy?

Factual

Is 'fake news' a threat to democracy?

16/11/2018 GMT

Is 'Fake News' a Threat to Democracy?

BBC World Service - The Real Story, Is 'Fake News' a Threat to Democracy?

How is rampant disinformation changing our societies?

In the two years since the election of Donald Trump the world has heard a lot about 'fake news'. It's a term the president often uses to go after the media and his opponents. But 'fake news' can mean a lot of things. It can refer to inaccurate stories pumped out to generate online ad revenue. It can also describe the sort of political disinformation that Russia used to try to influence the 2016 US election. While propaganda and disinformation have been deployed at home and abroad for centuries - Hitler and Stalin were past masters - the internet has made the dissemination of such lies much easier. So, if trust in information corrodes, what happens to democracy? Ritula Shah and a panel of experts look at what fakes of all kinds are doing to our public life and what solutions are available.

(Photo: Fact or Fake concept, change wooden cube. Credit: Getty Image)

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