When Fake News Threatens the Truth

The melting pot seems to have boiled over in a time where Americans are divided more than ever before. When political polarization feels ubiquitous, the Internet could offer a solution with its abundance of information, exposing users to various opinions and perspectives that broaden our individual views. But clearly, this has not been the case, and Christopher Blair's political satire fake news website plays into that. 

When I first read about America's Last Line of Defense, my initial reaction was more concerned than amused. Sure, exposing your ideological opponents and calling them stupid might be funny, but is it really that funny when the value of truth and fact-based journalism is insidiously being undermined? A September 2019 Gallup poll indicated only around 41% of Americans currently have "a great deal" or "fair amount" of trust in newspapers, television, and radio to report the news "fully, accurately and fairly." At this rate, America's Last Line of Defense is doing much more harm than good.

In crafting fake headlines and attention-grabbing memes, Blair told The Washington Post, "The more extreme we become, the more people believe it." I find this mindset dangerous because it creates a reinforcing cycle of pushing the extreme and further fabricating stories to get the most attention from users. Ultimately, the more exaggerated a story is, the higher returns it generates. 

Examples of posts on America's Last Line of Defense Facebook page

Perhaps America's Last Line of Defense publishers would respond that the Facebook page has disclaimers stating none of its content is real, so what they're doing is fair game. However, when foreign fake news sites also publish this information, all disclaimers are lost, and the context of America's Last Line of Defense is lost. Users may think these lies are true, and with an audience of 6 million visitors each month, this begins to feel like a blatant public disregard for the truth. 

Disclaimer offered on America's Last Line of Defense Facebook page

Moor poses the question, "Will the quality of our lives improve with increased technology or not?" It's ironic that this page on Facebook, a platform designed to connect people, is only driving political parties farther apart. The quality of our lives don't seem to be improving when technology is used to further exacerbate political polarization and division. Blair's page reinforces user's echo chambers and rewards the habit of only reading headlines, thus ignoring disclaimers entirely. America's Last Line of Defense has severe implications on our democracy, threatens the integrity of accurate journalism, and undermines the fundamental value of the truth.