Fakenews: Innocuous Or Intolerable

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The term ‘fake news’ has opened up a new front in perennial debates over
journalistic practices and ethics, government control, propaganda and censorship,
and the role of social media and search in today’s public sphere. But what exactly
is ‘fake news’? How does it vary, if at all, from propaganda, disinformation,
misinformation? In what ways might it threaten credible journalism and, broader
yet, the vitality of public space in democratic societies? Do today’s dilemmas over it
differ markedly from information wars past generations have faced? Is ‘fake news’
even a real problem deserving of attention? If it is, what possible solutions might be
available to deal with it in ways that do not at the same time undermine
fundamental human rights, especially the freedom of expression?