Addressing fake news issue requires a change in attitudes

In response to the Oct. 15 commentary by Suzanne Nossel of the Pen American Center, “Fake news and free speech: It’s up to consumers to fight back”: Ms. Nossel gives a good explanation for the wide proliferation of fake news across the media. But she fails to explain why Americans choose to believe fake news.

For better or worse, most of us get our politics (and religion, too) from our parents. We grow up with it. It becomes the foundation of the people we become. Sharing your thoughts and opinions online can lead to backlash that can feel like a threat to your very existence. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and share your most off-centered idea on social media and see what happens.

Because of this, people tend to shore up their sense of “self” with media that align with and validate their personal beliefs, regardless of their basis in fact or fiction. I’m as guilty of this as the next guy. Some will choose to believe ISIS is responsible for a shooting rather than accept it comes from a monster within. Others would rather believe Vladimir Putin is responsible for election results than even consider that the Democrats didn’t put forth the best candidate.

The author’s solution to fake news includes better educating youth as critical thinkers and creating a source for “credible information to help consumers weigh the reliability of various news sources.” This is a step in the right direction. But if you’ve ever challenged a fake news story shared by a friend with a well-researched Politifact article, they dismiss it with a swift “Politifact is biased.” I don’t even bother anymore.

No solution to the problem will be successful without a change in attitudes. This great nation is the result of Democrats and Republicans sharing the balance of power for more than 150 years, not one over the other. In fact, left and right ideologies are both valid. We are free to choose our beliefs and be respected for them so long as we respect others for theirs. We don’t need to be in agreement with all, and we certainly don’t need to spread fake news to make us right.