Some things I’ve learned from speaking at & participating in dozens of events on “the fake news problem” (disinformation, media manipulation, online speech & tech platform problems generally):
1) Everyone agrees that media literacy must be part of the solution. Very few have concrete ideas on how to implement and fund this in public education (or other venues). Rarely are educators involved in these discussions.
2) Many, esp. from traditionally trusted institutions, mourn the loss of faith in institutions - gov’t, media, etc. Few address the legitimate reasons why this change may have happened and what responsibilities institutions themselves have in earning back trust from the public.
3) Many call for a return to putting faith in traditional institutions, but the same people also criticize top-down methods of information control. How do we resolve this conflict?
4) Many criticize tech platforms (esp. Facebook) for not doing enough to fix these problems. In reality, the problems are complex, solutions are often untested, & companies are pulled in many different directions by govts around the world. Tech cos are not the only ones to blame.
5) There’s a lot of misunderstanding among people in different sectors/silos. Ppl in the public sector say companies need to do more. Ppl in industry say gov’t is out of touch. Academics complain no one reads their work. (Everyone else says academic work is incomprehensible.)
6) In reality, there are smart ppl in every sector (gov’t, industry, civil society, academia, “the public”) who truly care about these issues (e.g., countering disinformation, protecting online speech) and are trying to fix them. We need more collaboration, less complaining.
![“We are compelled by our mission [to] provide information to everyone, and [China is] 20 percent of the world's population.”](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dpopvc_WsAEh4LW.jpg)
