Alec Hogg at Fynarts: Fake News – how to beat it (and stop being part of the problem)
BizNews founder Alec Hogg delivered a booked-out talk on Sunday morning at the Hermanus Golf Course as part of the town's annual FynArts Festival. In the talk entitled Yellow Press Mark Two, Hogg shares how Fake News is nothing new, explaining how, through the ages, innovations that expanded media access always attracted those with agendas far removed from the purist's approach to publishing the truth. He also suggests practical ways to become part of the solution to the Fake News scourge. Listen to the recording by clicking on the play button below.
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A summary of the address by Alec Hogg at Fynarts on Sunday, 11 June, 2023
The talk begins with Alec Hogg discussing the problem of forwarding misleading and exciting content on WhatsApp. he reckons by doing so, people are contributing to the spread of misinformation and making themselves "useful idiots".
He also refers to about the growth of artificial intelligence and its impact on the industry, before delving into the history of media, starting with the invention of movable type by Johann Gutenberg in 1455, which led to an explosion of knowledge. Next came Benjamin Day's innovation of selling newspapers on the streets in the 1830s, leading to the rise of tabloids and sensationalized stories.
Hogg connects this to the invention of linotype in 1890, which once again revolutionised the media industry by allowing for faster and cheaper production of newspapers. However, increased competition led to the creation of fake news and sensational stories to attract readers, the revival of what became termed "the yellow press". With the advent of the internet in the mid-1990s, anyone could create and publish content, resulting in a flood of information, much of which is nonsensical or misleading and a resurgence of the sensationalistic theme.
He reflects on his own experience transitioning from traditional journalism to online, highlighting the decline in newspaper sales and the rise of websites as a primary source of news. He discusses the problem of fake news and how companies pay influencers and manipulate media narratives for their own agenda, sharing personal examples of being targeted by a fabricated story spread on social media.
Hogg mentions instances of manipulated speeches and conspiracy theories surrounding organisations like the World Economic Forum, emphasising the prevalence of misinformation and the ease with which it spreads – criticising those who control the narrative for their own benefit and highlights the danger of blindly forwarding sensational content without fact-checking.
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