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Journal of Media Ethics
Exploring Questions of Media Morality
Volume 34, 2019 - Issue 4
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Articles

Pragmatist Media Ethics and the Challenges of Fake News

Pages 178-192 | Received 13 Dec 2017, Accepted 20 Sep 2019, Published online: 03 Oct 2019
 

ABSTRACT

Increasing attention is being directed at the impact of fake news on democratic societies across the globe. Scholars in a range of fields are attempting to determine who is behind fake news propaganda efforts, what its effects are, and how to combat it using technological means. This study looks at the ethical issues raised in the fight against fake news. By developing an outline of a pragmatist media ethics, this article examines the complex ethical terrain of the normative challenges of fake news. The pragmatist approach to fake news emphasizes the conflicting values and outcomes at stake in attempts to conceptualize and eradicate fake news. Such an imaginative engagement with the phenomenon of disinformation on its own terms is an essential first step in diagnosing its ethical challenges and potential solutions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

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