The intrusion of fake news into the media ecosystem has been met with fear and outrage.
Yet fake news might trigger a good thing, too: A reminder of the extraordinary value of truth and perhaps a realization that, after much agonizing over the viability of the news business, there is a raison d’être beyond the accumulation of digital eyeballs.
Journalism is often at its best during periods of genuine turmoil or uncertainty. In occupied Europe, amid disinformation on the most extreme scale, truth was spread furtively on printed pamphlets, some of which evolved into leading news outlets of the post-war era.
We’re nowhere near there, but fake news still is a serious matter. Scolding social media platforms for distributing it misses the point. Endemic obfuscation requires even stronger reporting mixed with entrepreneurship — an opportunity to live up to the core of the profession.
The coming year will bring many changes. I hope one of them will be positive: the rise of vigorous and entrepreneurial quality journalism.
Almar Latour is publisher and executive vice president for Dow Jones Media Group.
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Christopher Meighan Unlocking a deeper mobile experience
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Jim Friedlich A banner year for venture philanthropy
David Weigel A test for online speech
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Guy Raz Inspiration and hope will matter more than ever
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Vivian Schiller Tested like never before
Alice Antheaume A new test for French media
Jonathan Hunt Measurement companies get with the times
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Ryan McCarthy Platforms grow up or grow more toxic
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Claire Wardle Verification takes center stage
Millie Tran International expansion without colonial overtones
Mathew Ingram The Faustian Facebook dance continues
Margarita Noriega From pinning tweets to tweeting pins
Caitlin Thompson High touch, high value
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Robert Hernandez History will exclude you, again
David Chavern Fake news gets solved
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Tracie Powell Building reader relationships
Keren Goldshlager Defining a focus, and then saying no
Michael Oreskes Reversing the erosion of democracy
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