Fake News: A Definition

Authors

  • Axel Gelfert Department of Philosophy, Literature, History of Science and Technology Technical University of Berlin

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22329/il.v38i1.5068

Abstract

Despite being a new term, ‘fake news’ has evolved rapidly. This paper argues that it should be reserved for cases of deliberate presentation of (typically) false or misleading claims as news, where these are misleading by design. The phrase ‘by design’ here refers to systemic features of the design of the sources and channels by which fake news propagates and, thereby, manipulates the audience’s cognitive processes. This prospective definition is then tested: first, by contrasting fake news with other forms of public disinformation; second, by considering whether it helps pinpoint conditions for the (recent) proliferation of fake news.

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Published

2018-03-15

Issue

Vol. 38 No. 1 (2018): Special Issue: Reason and Rhetoric in the Time of Alternative Facts

Section

Articles

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