About the Book

Misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda have always presented challenges to democratic societies, but today, due to the internet, so-called fake news knows no boundaries or borders. With each passing day the potential reach of a single false news story—and its ability to negatively impact all of us—grows in both size and scope. Although politicians, activists, and ordinary citizens regularly complain about deceptive or biased news reports, they tend to define fake news as anything with which they happen to disagree, thus compounding the problem even further. Seeking to bring some much-needed clarity to the subject, journalist and author David G. McAfee documents the myriad definitions of “fake news” and its various incarnations throughout history, from ideologically motivated disinformation operations to commercially motivated misinformation campaigns. Demonstrating that we are all culpable in the creation of the current “fake news” pandemic, he presents a number of practical and actionable suggestions for combating it. In the end, however, he argues that each of us, no matter our political bent, have an important role to play in curbing the insidious spread and most dangerous effects of fake news.

About the Author(s)

David G. McAfee is author of No Sacred Cows, Mom, Dad, I'm an Atheist, Disproving Christianity and Other Secular Writings, and The Belief Book. He holds a degree in religious studies from the University of California–Santa Barbara and lives in Southern California.

Details

ISBN: 9781634312066
Format: paperback
SRP: $14.95
Lexile measure: 1260L
Page count: 208 pages
Trim size: 5.5 x 8.5
Pub date: October 2020