What Do We Know and What Should We Do About Fake News?: (What Do We Know and What Should We Do About:)

Voters need to be informed to make political decisions, but what if their media diet not only prevents them from getting the information they need, but actively shapes inaccurate perceptions of the world? Drawing on examples and evidence from around the world, this book aims to make a timely intervention to the debate about the concept of fake news. Its underlying argument will have three objectives. First, to offer more precise definitions for a term that is often loosely used. Second, to offer a less technologically determinist view of fake news. New social media platforms, such as Facebook and WhatsApp, are clearly an important part of the story, but they exist in wider social, political and institutional settings. Third, to situate the idea of fake news (and our concern about it) in broader arguments about an ongoing crisis and loss of confidence in liberal democratic institutions. Only with this perspective, it will be argued, can we possibly address the question of what we should do about fake news. Written by leading social scientists, the What Do We Know and What Should We Do About...? series offers concise, up-to-date overviews of issues often oversimplified, misrepresented or misunderstood and shows you how to enact change. "Short, sharp and compelling." - Alex Preston, The Observer "If you want to learn a lot about what matters most, in as short a time as possible, this is the series for you."- Danny Dorling, 1971 Professor of Geography, University of Oxford

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Background 3. What Do We Know? 4. What Should We Do? 5. Conclusion

About the Author :
Dr Nick Anstead is Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Communications at LSE. His research focuses on political communication practices and their relationship with political institutions. Additionally, he has researched the ways in which political ideas develop, circulate and are used in debate. He has regularly appeared on national and international media, including BBC Newsnight, BBC One Show, BBC News Channel, More4 News, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Scotland, the BBC World Service, AP, AFP, CNN and Reuters. Dr Anstead’s work has contributed to public debate on a number of topical issues. He was the co-editor of a Fabian pamphlet The Change We Need (2009, with Will Straw) on what British progressives could learn from the organization and communication of Barack Obama’s presidential election victory. This volume had a Foreword by then Prime Minister Gordon Brown. His Media Policy Project working paper Televised Debates in Parliamentary Democracies (2015) was widely covered by the UK media in the run up to that year’s election, and was circulated to senior media figures in the pre-debate negotiation period. The only debate of the election campaign, broadcast on ITV, employed a format similar to that recommended in the report. Nick has spoken at events organized by the Fabian Society, Progress, the Institute for Government and the Rand Institute (California and Brussels); he has acted as a consultant for the think tank Unions 21 undertaking research on how trade unions employ the internet in their campaigns, he is on the board of 38 Degrees and is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.

Review :
Concise and comprehensive, Anstead skilfully moves from the Middle Ages to Postmodernism and, all importantly, considers practical solutions to ′fake news′. Essential reading for policy makers, media and anyone who wants to get to grips with this slippery subject. If there was ever a topic that needed careful and thoughtful analysis, it is fake news. This book does exactly this – and then some more. By putting fake news into its historical context, by clarifying the term itself, by locating it within current media and political practice, and by telling us what can be done about it, Nick Anstead has performed an invaluable service. Situating fake news in its historical context and providing clear and brief summaries of the current scholarly work on the subject, this concise book will provide a solid touchpoint for people looking to understand one of the most pressing issues of our time. If you want to learn a lot about what matters most, in as short a time as possible, this is the series for you.