The Internet has, for decades, been a tool for those who want to spread
propaganda. The idea that a gatekeeper
or censor could no longer interfere with person-to-person communications on a
mass scale is something we find inviting but also struggle to deal with when
errors, lies or misinterpretations are promulgated and shared over and over. We live in a fake news era, but the question
is, are books immune to this?
Of
course not. Some books undoubtedly are published
without authors using legitimate sources, without independently verifying
information they share or quote, and without any outside fact-checkers employed pre-publication to confirm the manuscript’s veracity.
Each
year, the number of self-published titles exceeds the number of books put out
by traditional publishers. In theory,
publishers won’t acquire a book unless it believes it is worthy and
commercially viable, nor will it publish a book where the content can’t be
double-checked. But in reality, publishers
are glorified printers at times and they have put the pursuit of profit above
holding themselves to any high quality standards. So what happens is the quick-buck publisher
rushes to take on a book it believes will sell, especially when the author
agrees to buy a certain number of copies to give out or resell at events or via
their website.
Then,
once a publisher edits a book, it does so under two main prisms. First, avoid any content that can lead to a
lawsuit or offend individuals or groups the publisher is linked to. The other concern is to not produce a book
that has obvious misspellings or grammatical mistakes. But it doesn’t have the time, resources, or
even the desire to fact-check everything an author writes.
Self-published
authors, unless they hire a good fact-checker or editor -- and give them the
authority to actually alter the manuscript if it conflicts with reality -- will
release books that challenge the truth.
Now
add a new layer to this: fake news. Authors rely on news media reports for book
ideas and to quote as a source. So what happens when authors don’t realize they
are referencing a story that’s satirical, like from The Onion, or from an illegitimate site that doesn’t employ the
standards of journalistic ethics that established media follow? Or in the case of President Trump, what
happens when you quote him on something where his source is fake news or mere
editorializing from a media outlet?
The
problem with the Internet is that it spreads fake news so fast and
furiously. Then people come to repeat
these urban legends as if true, which spurs on reactionary debate and the creation of additional fake news. Authors are not
immune from this.
How
can we avoid the meltdown of our media and inevitably the book ecosystem?
The
burden really begins with the author of a book.
Whether self-published or traditionally published or subsidized
published, he or she has the high duty and moralistic, if not legal, obligation
to make sure his or her writings represent facts, truths, accurate quotes, and
conclusions based on real news and not fake news.
Many
writers are lazy and make assumptions about the information they source and
then present. They attach to a lower
standard of proof to ascertain if something is correct or not.
They
let partisan politics, personal preferences, past affiliations, or money to
cloud their judgment. For some authors
it can be to their benefit to not check everything that they write. They want to write what they believe, regardless of the facts. Further, they may
have an incentive or compensatory motivation to put out a narrative that they
know is bogus.
Some media, like Fox-TV, is a biased, advocacy network. It is that way because it wants to further a political agenda but it also knows it can earn high ratings and charge a lot for commercials. Many news outlets sell death, fear, and disaster – more people read, listen to and watch news that warns of blizzards, war or crime sprees. We are more willing to be glued to the set when a plane crashes, an entertainer dies or a video captures an attack on a woman. Not all of this is the most important news, but it interests people, and what interests people sells papers, subscriber fees, and advertising.
Some media, like Fox-TV, is a biased, advocacy network. It is that way because it wants to further a political agenda but it also knows it can earn high ratings and charge a lot for commercials. Many news outlets sell death, fear, and disaster – more people read, listen to and watch news that warns of blizzards, war or crime sprees. We are more willing to be glued to the set when a plane crashes, an entertainer dies or a video captures an attack on a woman. Not all of this is the most important news, but it interests people, and what interests people sells papers, subscriber fees, and advertising.
The
media can’t help itself. It reports what
it does based on:
·
Ideology and values.
·
Ego and fame.
·
Financial incentives.
·
To influence society.
·
Limited resources.
Authors
may be guilty of the same thing, and thus will intentionally or unknowingly,
write on matters that are false, unsubstantiated, misinterpreted, or only
partially accurate.
We
hear a lot about fake news. Some organizations
try to fight back. Some media outlets
report on their fact-checking of statements released by the government and
others. Some, like Facebook, will flag
challenged content. Some, like Twitter,
may kick a user off if he or she tries to promote terrorism. Free speech, bans, censorship, and the issue
of a fair media come up daily.
So
what can and should authors do?
1. They
must educate themselves on what they write about. They will need to really expose themselves to
all kinds of sources in order to gain a consensus on the truth.
2. They must question the content they consume.
They need to fact-check but also wonder if that source has a motive or
objective that needs to be scrutinized.
3. The
writer now has to be a better detective, a better philosopher, a better
researcher, and a better human being, because he or she is in a new role – to
not only write well and present ideas and information in a powerful way, but to
make sure these writings are based on real news accounts.
4. They
will need to utilize the services of better researchers and editors, who use a
higher moral ground and greater skill set to sniff out bullshit.
5. They
will need to be ready to provide documents and support to show any doubters –
and they’ll have to work doubly hard at promoting their books and brand because
too many haters, fakers, and losers will try to undermine them.
Publishers,
editors, literary agents, libraries, bookstores, and even readers will need to play a role
here as well. They will hold themselves
and each other – and the writer – to a higher standard. We must be vigilant in discovering, exposing,
and punishing those who create and share fake news.
Make
no mistake, fake news has not only infiltrated the media and as a result,
society, it has infected the book industry like a bad case of bed bugs. It makes me itchy, to think about it, but we
need to do something fast if we are to eradicate or minimize the problems a
fake news world causes the book industry.
Will
we soon need some third-party, non-profit group to form, where its sole job is
to examine if a book offers fakery? Who
would fund the group? What standards would
they use? How would workers be
trained? What if this group oversteps
its mission or has members with a hidden agenda?
No
group, no person, no government is perfect or unbiased or without some type of
agenda. Self-preservation can infiltrate
anything, even the books that you read.
But we have to start somewhere and try hard to purify the books that
society reads, otherwise we will all be living fake lives.
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