All the different meanings of the phrase "fake news"

Freedom of the press as a sign of a strong democracy

The term "Fake news" is used in a wide variety of meanings. This can create a bit of confusion.

In German, “fake news” refers to a wide variety of types of false reports. If they are targeted, intentional false reports, then we also speak of disinformation or manipulation. Sometimes even satire is referred to as "fake news" with a wink. By the way, satire is an art form that uses exaggeration and humor to point out predicaments or to comment on current occurrings.

In English, on the other hand, “fake news” is used in a similar way to the German “Lügenpresse”, “Systempresse” or “Mainstream Medien”. These terms are used to denigrate and vilify critical, independent media.

Language is alive and words often develop their own meaning. Clear definitions make communication easier to understand and more efficient.

In their work, independent quality media adhere to the journalistic code of honor. That means: They do thorough research, offer comprehensive information, are as independent as possible, avoid generalisations and denigrations, they respect privacy protection and much more.

Further information on the journalistic code of honor is available at this link.

Freedom of the press as a sign of a strong democracy

It is the task of independent quality media to pose critical questions to politicians and other decision-makers. They discuss concepts and future plans of decision-makers. They provide the population with comprehensive and balanced information.

The situation of journalists, independent media and freedom of the press is an important indicator of the health of a democracy.

Factinsect is in fact not a fake news detector

By the way, Factinsect is not a fake news detector. The tool compares information from the Internet with selected high-quality media. After installing it in your browser, the traffic light shows green for "confirmed", it means that the information is very credible. “Not confirmed” does not mean “fake news”. Information that Factinsect cannot confirm can simply be very new, it can be satire, or a topic on which there is different information or which is controversial.

Factinsect is available as an add-on for Chrome, Firefox and Edge browsers. Do you want to try the automated fact check? Simply register here!

Photo by Taras Chernus on [Unsplash]