Styles of Communication (Dec 2019)
Fake News, from Social Media to Television Case Study of the Romanian Presidential Elections 2019
Abstract
Fake news is not a new concept; it was brought in the spotlight by the 2016 United States presidential elections and became a buzz word for the media, politicians, academia, research community and the public. The politicians around the world appropriated the concept to describe news organizations when their coverage is not favorable and to justify their actions to restrict, undermine, sanction and intimidate the press. On the other hand, there are also news organizations and individuals that replaced journalism with propaganda, aimed at manipulating the political options of the audiences, through stories that are created to influence public perceptions for the benefit of a politician, organization or government. The case study of the Romanian 2019 Presidential elections, analyzed in this article, illustrates a wide range of attributes and typologies of fake news, showing how both social and main stream media contribute to the production and dissemination of false narratives.
