“Fake news” means different things to different people. As far as Professor Tawana Kupe, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria, is concerned: “If it’s fake, it can’t be news”. Calling it this, he’s argued, gives the term legitimacy.
But at the same time, he and others say, it’s important that the problem be acknowledged. It is present in the world of academia as well. On today’s episode, academics share their experiences with misinformation, disinformation and everything else that falls under the umbrella term “fake news”.
Read more: Why science matters so much in the era of fake news and fallacies
Photo: By Journolink Photo of the words ‘Fake News’ spelled out using wooden scrabble tiles, a newspaper front page used as the image background. Flickr courtesy of Journolink
Music “Happy African Village” by John Bartmann found on FreeMusicArchive.org licensed under CC0 1.