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Twitter loves lies, the Associated Press reported in a recent story about a new Massachusetts Institute of Technology study that found false information traveled via social media six times faster than the truth and reached far more people.
Specifically, an average false story takes about 10 hours to reach 1,500 Twitter users, versus about 60 hours for the truth. And on average, false information reaches 35 percent more people than true news.
As if that's not bad enough, an ever-increasing chant of "fake news" -- often coming from public officials about stories that aren't particularly flattering to them is causing even more consternation among the public on whether they should trust what reputable news organizations are reporting.
We see this a lot on the national level, but local media outlets like the Tribune Chronicle see it too.
Members of my staff tell me they increasingly hear local public officials and other sources accusing them of reporting "fake news." Sometimes we get criticized on blogs, Facebook or other social media sites set up by local communities or organizations when they want to vent about stories or opinion pieces we've published that they disagree with.
Often, those posts accuse us of "fake news," but appear without the writer ever having contacted us to request a correction. I see that as an attempt to call into question the credibility of the stories or to raise doubts about the story's authenticity or accuracy -- even when the story is indeed both accurate and authentic.
Here are a few other examples reported by the Associated Press during last month's annual "Sunshine Week."
The Kentucky governor tweeted #FAKENEWS to dismiss questions about his purchase of a home from a supporter. And an aide to the Texas land commissioner used the phrase to downplay the significance of his boss receiving donations from employees of a company that landed a multimillion-dollar contract.
The end result is creation of doubt about all news reports, leading readers of even the most reputable news organizations to question legitimacy.
That's a big problem for society and for democracy.
Experts on the press and democracy say the cries of "fake news" could do long-term damage by sowing confusion and contempt for journalists and by undermining the media's role as a watchdog on government and politicians.
Brendan Nyhan, a professor of government at Dartmouth College, recently said this:
"The press is hardly perfect, of course, but it is also an important mechanism of accountability for people in power," Nyhan told the Associated Press. "This kind of rhetoric is potentially corrosive to trust in the media and to people's willingness to accept information that is critical of politicians they support."
Now don't get me wrong, we all should avoid blind faith. I learned decades ago that it's my right and my responsibility to question what I'm told. I've always taught my kids that it's OK to challenge authority, as long as you do it the right way -- that is, with respect.
And as a journalist, I tell my staff to question and independently verify everything that can be checked. That's what we do.
What frustrates me is the growing belief that we, in the media, purposefully conspire to perpetuate a spread of false information.
Do we make mistakes? Sure we do! Turning around dozens of stories containing tens of thousands of words on deadline 365 days a year with limited resources operating under an incredibly fast pace and with the stress of deadline creates a situation ripe for mistakes. When a mistake is called to our attention, we correct it.
Do we do it intentionally? Of course not! And it's ridiculous for anyone to insinuate that any reputable news organization like the Tribune Chronicle would risk its reputation and credibility -- not to mention the possibility of libel -- by purposefully spreading false information.
blinert@tribtoday.com