On January 22nd, Kellyanne Conway, President Donald Trump’s campaign manager, stirred up the media when she defended current White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on NBC’s Meet the Press. Conway used the odd phrase “alternative facts” to describe the validity of a statement Spicer had made in regards to the number of people who went to watch the Trump inauguration. I don’t know for sure what the actual number of people watching the Inauguration was, but I definitely know that “alternative facts” are not facts. They are simply false information.
The news has covered misleading stories throughout the election, in favor of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and we’ve all seen “clickbait” articles that simply aren’t true, like pieces about the so-called “Pizzagate” scandal, Donald Trump being linked to ISIS, Hillary Clinton preparing to mount a coup d’etat, “Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy” from Breitbart News…you get the idea. I’m not going to name any specifics, but I’ve seen people on my Facebook feed sharing and posting links from websites with information that just isn’t real.
Misinformation is dangerous because it can lead to people making poor decisions. I mean, a minister from Pakistan threatened Israel with nuclear war due to fake news online late last year! When used as evidence in policymaking, the results can be catastrophic. But the true danger of “alternative facts” lies where it makes the biggest impact, with the people themselves. When we break the American federal government into its most basic mechanics and functions, the people are the ones who are truly in control.
I’m not making an argument against democracy. Democracy is a wonderful thing. It allows people like you and me to have power in our country’s decision-making process. I am, however, arguing against fake news. If we want to keep our democracy as strong as it is, then we must demand better of our news outlets, and, in the meantime, read as much as we can on a given topic before forming opinions.
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