Andrew Weiss Counterfact Journalism Books sku-5214940891

Andrew Weiss's Counterfact: Fake News and Misinformation in the Digital Information Age is a hardcover Journalism Books title, sku-5214940891. It traces fake news and its earlier forms, including political and social uses of lies and rumors, then examines how digital technologies are used to spread it.

The book discusses the contested definition of fake news, including deceptive stories as well as instructive and parodic uses that can help expose misinformation. It proposes a model for predicting and countering harmful effects, and considers why people believe and share false stories and conspiracies.

Those factors include users' ability to build on knowledge, think in parallel, recognize what they do not know, and understand their strengths and weaknesses. The book also examines the motives and actions of creators and users, the conditions exploited by bad actors, and effects on education, politics and public policy.

It argues for national and international policy alongside information literacy, with attention to individual behavior and societal and cultural norms.