Fake news has consequences for individuals, society and democracy

Opinion

We’ve seen what can happen when fake news, amplified by social media, spreads. Now is the time to fund quality, trusted journalism.

There’s no doubt about it, fake news and misinformation are to blame for the riots across the country — the riots that are fuelling hate and hurt in communities up and down the UK.

I should know: today they are coming for my hometown of Walthamstow.

The right-minded people reading this will condemn the violence coming from far-right thuggery, to quote our prime minister.

But I’m angry.

The damage is done

What happened in Southport was truly tragic — a shocking and unimaginable incident.

In the hours following the attack, social media was alight with false accusations, incorrect suspects being named, misleading posts and downright lies. We now know that these were amplified by a social media account that masquerades as an American news network.

These claims escalated when far-right influencers including Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson posted that the suspect was an “illegal migrant” who recently came to the UK on a small boat.

And these posts were seen by millions of people. The damage was done, despite the efforts to remove them and the police issuing a statement explaining that the information was “incorrect”.

We’ve all seen what’s happened since; we’ve witnessed the news footage of hundreds of hooligans hijacking streets up and down the country, stoking division and tension.

It’s appalling. As Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement this week: “There is no justification — none — for taking this action.”

Fact, not fake

We know that fake news has consequences — to individuals, to society and to our democracy. Unfortunately, we are seeing this play out before our eyes.

The stats paint a poor picture — over half of people believe they’ve been tricked into believing fake news. Almost 80% of the UK are concerned about it (and this was before recent events!), with only a quarter feeling confident in their ability to spot it.

We know this is true, because it’s based on actual research — fact, not fake.

As an industry, I hope people are taking note and connecting the two. If there was ever a time to be concerned about brand safety and funding accountable, regulated, trusted journalism, it is now.

Heather Dansie is insight director at Newsworks