In the November edition of the conversation club at Instituto Cervantes London, we will be discussing fake news. This issue continues to generate intense debate in the fields of journalism, philosophy and politics as well as in everyday life. Numerous authors have tackled this topic from different perspectives and analysed its impact on society and the importance of committing to telling the truth.
Fake news includes disinformation, misinformation and hoaxes, which may be used to achieve political influence, social polarisation and economic gain. Fake news often circulates on social media, traditional media and private messaging.
As part of the discussion, we will explore examples of reporting of events in Spain and the UK such as the 11M bombings and Brexit. We will also be talking about how information bias, extreme emotions and social media algorithms can amplify fake news, tools that could help combat this disinformation, such as verification platforms Maldita.es and Newtral, and how to promote media education and critical thinking.