Fake news – preliminary analysis of the phenomenon

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of fake news and its potential impact on the functioning of democratic countries. The first part of the text discusses the problem of defining the term fake news. Nowadays there is no common understanding of the term fake news especially because it can refer not only to traditional (written) information but also to photographs or videos. Moreover the article highlights the danger of creating and distributing the misinforming content as it can have an influence on both: individuals and the whole society (e.g. it may have an impact on elections). In the second part, the article focuses on indicating solutions that are introduced in order to counteract fake news: such as educational campaigns and good practices in checking the information. The article points out also the most radical form of fighting against fake news namely the introduction of criminal sanctions for spreading disinformation. It is also highlighted that treating distribution of fake news as a crime may be a threat factor for democracy, especially for the freedom of speech. In order to analyse the phenomenon of fake news the theoretical research methods have been applied: analysis, synthesis and inference methods.