Trustworthy Information in a Digital Age: Analyzing Sources & Discrediting Fake News - Research Paper

Introduction

Information in the modern era is available to everyone who intends to get it through TV, radio, or the internet; however, one can never know what they are reading is true or false. The primary problem is manipulation and adoption of information by the media from other web pages. Therefore, it is vital to analyze information found on the internet or through news anchors. Often, fake news results from a misstatement or falsification that circulates faster across the globe that causes fear among its audience. This paper focuses on analyzing a recent incident where two American students were charged for stabbing an Italian police officer; however, it occurred after fake news had already spread in the mainstream until it was not evident what was false or ultimate.

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The Origin

Fake news as it sounds entails what looks or sounds like news, but they do not have proof. It all started when two young men approached a man when they wanted to buy drugs; instead, the man sold then crushed aspirin. The Italian man was sitting at Piazza Mastai when the two individuals stole his bag that contained a phone and EUR100 (BBC). Although it might have involved other people, a CCTV captured two young men running away with the bag. Later, the owner of the bag called his phone, and it was picked. The individual offered to sell the bag to the man in a different location of Prati district Italy. The man informed the police, Mario Cerciello Rega, a vice-Brigadier and his colleague showed up at the meeting point unarmed and with a plain civilian cloth to retrieve the bag (Elsom 2019). The incident went wrong when one suspect stabbed Rega 11 times using a knife before they both fled. The officer later succumbed to the injuries (Tara et al. 2019)

The initial reports showed that the attackers were from North Africa and the global media was swindled to accusing non-existent men from North Africa as the key suspects for the death of an Italian police officer. The earliest description of the two suspects appeared on a police and security forces portal Infordifesa. The portals have a profound disclaimer according to the Italian law that it is not journalism; therefore, it acted as a trusted source. The news further spread through a Facebook post by a group identified as Puntato, which branded the criminals as four people, including an Algerian and three Moroccans and comprising what alleged to be a police photo. This tainted a bad picture since the group belongs to police run by two officers via a traffic application. After a few minutes, the post reposted by UNITI Saremo TUTTO that attracted about 5,000 shares. The description of the suspects had to be rue since the majority of the Italian media had adopted the narrative from highly regarded mainstream such as Repubblica and leading press organizations such as AGI and Agenpress.

Moments of the incident appearing in the mainstream media in Italy, pressure built on leaders and the interior ministers Matteo Salvini referred to Il Messaggero newspaper that had previously described the two men as North Africans or Maghrebian and highlighted that he is optimistic that the two suspects will be caught. Prior, he underscored that the criminals would "forced labor in prison for as long as he lives." (BBC) Thereafter, the story had gained enough validity and spread globally with trusted sites such as Daily mail had headlines "'North African thieves' stab cop to death on the streets of Rome provoking outrage and vow from Matteo Salvini to condemn them to 'forced prison labor for as long as they live" (Elsom 2019). Moreover, BBC also had the article "Mario Cerciello Rega: Huge manhunt for killers of Italian policeman" that contained the fake description of the criminals with the near accord established by the Italian press.

Harm to the Public

The immediate outcome of the ungrounded news that the police were looking for two North African men sparked hatred of anti-immigrants on the internet. Messages of hate were directed to immigrants and asylum seekers others seeking their return to their countries and being blocked from accessing Italian shores. For instance, Giorgia Melon referred to the suspects as "two animals, probably Maghrebian" (Huffpost 2019). While Italy is receiving high pressure to fulfill the needs of immigrants as well as asylum seekers, the Italian government often complains of carrying the heavy burden compared to other European countries.

After an announcement by the interior minister on the groundless allegation that the criminals were two North African men, bombardment or racist enticements ensued amidst the already anti-immigration sentiments that currently fill Italy. Fake news is harmful to the public since the spread of the story created tension among North Africans. Widespread news often causes revolts, mainly when it involves political issues. The news resulted in increased anxiety among migrants and asylum seekers from North African countries, including Morocco and Algerians. The target audience will receive hostility from police officers and might result in immigrants being denied access to essential resources in Italy, including housing, primary education, and housing. These might further increase the existing tension among the present immigrant community from North Africa and further drive them away to the borders that have become more antagonistic.

The leadership of the far-right League party increased its security on denying access of rescue ships to Italian ports, and this often worsens when such news is false fully propagated. The ministry can entirely deny access to Italian ports and disembark both people and goods from North Africa. This can be passed as a rule and implemented as law, and when effected, a significant number of immigrants will suffer and die in the terrestrial waters. The far-rights minister's stand on illegal migrants and asylum seekers and the news of the death of Vice Brigadier by North Africans might have resulted to adverse effects to the 116 migrants rescued to off from Libya (Thelocal.it 2019). Italy had a standoff that they will not be allowed in until other European nations are approve offering shelter to some of the migrants.

Often if a fake messages link immigrants and a criminal case. Therefore, it means that the news has been put forward to create a distinct sense among the population that has entered the country from other countries are a security threat and it is hard for them to fit in the society without disrupting existing peace and harmony. The spread of fake news in Italy and directing allegations to North Africans can result in physical violence and severe episodes of public disorder issues when not quickly resolved.

Doubt of Trust

Fake news is often shared on the internet despite existing awareness of the harm that it would course. Since the internet is not restricted, people can post about their opinions, emotions as well as their individual beliefs. However, in the process of searching for information about the news also gives people the chance to highlight their opinions. Ungrounded statements often mislead consumers of the information and influences decision.

The fake news concerning the two North African men as suspects would have increased racism and xenophobic attacks in addition to the policies the Italian government is pursuing against immigrants. If the fake news extended for a few days, the rights of migrants would be exposed to risk since hatred had already spread through the internet as well as discrimination. More migrants will be at an increased vulnerability to attacks, especially people of African descent. Some individuals in the social media unapologetically embraced racist and xenophobic anti-immigration rhetoric accusing North Africans without the basis of their allegations. The strategy to feed the world with fake news through the internet with sentiments of invasion of Italy by foreigners is ill-motivated by extremists to create a climate of hatred. Their intention is often to make people believe that migrants invade Italy; hence, the leading cause of the economic problems experienced. Contrary, migrants play a critical role in the agro-food industry and account for about 8.7% only of the total population in Italy (Saviano 2019).

Eventually

However, the near-uniform accurate description of the two "North African" suspects from police sources was more confusing, including Infodifesa where the information first appeared. They were arrested on Friday evening in a hotel room that was near the scene of stubbing. In the hotel room, the weapon was found hidden at the ceiling panel as well as the clothes they wore at the crime scene. They confessed to committing the crime, were accused of murder, and attempted extortion. The two US nationals were identified as Finnegan Lee Elder and Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth, who were 19 and 18, respectively both from San Francisco (Nytimes 2019). Elder admitted to stabbing the officer using a knife that according to the police, the criminals came with it from the United States. Gen. Francesco Gargaro pointed out that some of the wounds sustained were very deep to the actual length of the blade, 7 inches (John et al. para.3). The death of Brigadier Rega's hit hard on Italy since social media played a significant role in creating a perception.

Since technology advances each day regarding information development, social media platforms may be required to restructure on how best they can fight fake news. This story highlights the challenges of today's media face. The mainstream and its motivation for the number of clicks meaning that publishers often put out articles and information as soon as they access them without thorough scrutiny. When a particular story is already run by another source that seems to be a reputable source, the dedication and time to verify diminished.

Fake news is an epidemic when it gets in content with the public through different channels; it will continue spreading up until it is fully resolved. Majority of false news such Mario Cerciello Rega's death and accusing of two North Africans are often challenging to evade although some individuals might become emotional and thoughtful while trying to comprehend whether the news was true or false. Trusted media sites such as BBC and Dailymail made a mistake by sharing ungrounded information; hence, websites are practically not the ideal places to look up for news since the majority of readers look through by only considering the headlines of the articles. Therefore, it is vital to collect wisely analytical information from the source, especially considering references that are known for precision journalism.

A broken media system and the spread of false information within hours online is detrimental. Sophisticated measures for fake news are essential; nonetheless, durable efforts to bring back trust in journalism and ensuring that information is verified before publication that involves strengthening the literacy skills of the media.

Conclusion

The police and the media are supposed to demonstrate the authenticity of information by sharing facts to avoid blaming a particular population for the crimes they did not commit. It all started when two young men approached a man when they wanted to buy drugs; instead, the man sold then crushed aspirin. The two men later stole a bag from an Italian civilian that contained a phone and EUR100 and 1 gram of cocaine. Later the man called his phone, and the two men requested cash in exchange for the bag in a different location. Two police officers showed up at the agreed meeting point, and one of the suspects stabbed Mario Cerciello Rega to death. The initial reports showed that the attackers were from North Africa and the global media was swindled to accusing non-existent men from North Africa as the key suspects. The earlie...