How to Navigate a Fake News World

We live in a 'post-truth' society, and have been experiencing an epidemic of fake news. In today’s media world, Jeremiah’s words ring true: ’Truth has perished; it is banished from the lips’ (Jeremiah 7:28). According to one study published in 2018, fake news travels “farther, faster, deeper and more broadly than the truth in every category of information”. Fake news reaches people six times faster than truth. Why is there so much fake news? What factors make fake news spread rapidly while truth ’stumbles in the street’ (Isaiah 59:14)? How can we respond? In this webinar with Tony Watkins, presented 14 August 2018, we will firstly analyse the phenomenon of fake news. We will look at how the changing news landscape has created conditions in which age-old human weaknesses result in the creation and distribution of fake news. We will consider psychological and sociological factors behind the rapid spreading of falsehoods. Secondly, we will consider the consequences of fake news and the devaluing of truth for society and for individuals. Finally, we will explore how Christians can respond to fake news. We will reflect on why truth is so important to us as Christians, what we can do to discover what is true in the online world, and how we can resist untruth while engaging constructively with others.