Skyler Allen, Representative of Winthrop University’s Collegiate Democrats
As Democrats, we have seen our fair share of slander in the media throughout the decades.
Fake news is something we all have had to endure, and misinformation is by far one of the most manipulative tools found within political media. As voters and citizens, we must do our own research before going to the polls and engaging in discourse. However, it must be noted that this research can become tedious. Oftentimes, the pipeline between curiosity and truth becomes tainted and dark. Democrats have seen the effects of this.
Especially within the age of COVID-19, the misinformation about vaccines has been detrimental to public health. Masks, vaccines, and social distancing are all aspects of modern life that have become heavily politicized, and this affects us all. What some may see as slander to the Democratic Party is a threat to survival within a pandemic. Another example is the media’s role in social corruption during the 2020 Presidential election. We all saw how chaotic and damaging the first presidential debate was, as well as how much time was spent simply going back and forth about what had been said in the media versus what was true. The audience, both present and at home, absorbed this chaos and it filled our nation.
Fake news and misinformation in the media also takes place on social media. Facebook has become a battleground. How many families have we seen target each other? This could be done through blocking, exposing one another’s private details, or public arguments.
Social media is simultaneously the land of misinformation and truth. The lines between truth and fiction become blurred, and people wage war on each other trying to figure out what to believe. We see how violent misinformation can become. Back in January, online misinformation led to an insurrection that threatened not only the lives of many, but the very foundation of the country.
Fake news is not just inconvenient, it is detrimental to civil discourse and overall safety in the United States. On the left, we have our own misinformation to work through. Democrats share many commonalities but there is a diverse range of thought within the party.
When our political figures have stories about them out in the media, tedious researching and checking must be conducted to assure that we hold our members and leaders accountable. Who voted for what bill back when? Who knows who? Who did what? As Americans, we should all be asking ourselves these questions and being honest about the information we find.
The political world is complex enough without adding dishonesty to it through the media. Fake news deepens the ambiguity and makes voters feel used, hopeless, and continuously uninformed. We want an energized America with informed voters and citizens, and fake news is a true threat to that.
