SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"From the start," warned journalist Glenn Greenwald on Thursday in response the proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron, the phrase "fake news" has been used as a "rhetorical term with no definition, ensuring abuse. First, Trump appropriated it to attack journalism. Now Macron is exploiting it to obtain government control over the internet. Terms that lack definition are propaganda." (Photo: Ludovic Marin)
Proposal by France's Macron to Ban "Fake News" Denounced as Recipe for Disaster
Calling the term one ripe for "abuse," a warning that French president is "exploiting it to obtain government control over the internet"
Jan 04, 2018
Following a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron for the government to be given sweeping powers to block online content deemed "fake news" during national elections, critics caution that such a move would put the country on a slippery slope towards authoritarian-style censorship that would ultimately do more harm than good.
"From the start," warned journalist Glenn Greenwald on Thursday in response to news of Macron's call, the phrase "fake news" has been used as a "rhetorical term with no definition, ensuring abuse. First, Trump appropriated it to attack journalism. Now Macron is exploiting it to obtain government control over the internet. Terms that lack definition are propaganda."
According to the Guardian's coverage of Macron's plan, which he detailed in a speech on Wednesday, news published during an election determined to be "fake" would trigger "an emergency legal action" allowing "authorities to remove that content or even block the website." In addition, the CSA, the French government's media watchdog, would be empowered to fight against "any attempt at destabilization" by television stations controlled or influenced by foreign states.
"At election time, on internet platforms," Macron said in his speech, "the rules applying to content won't be exactly the same."
However, using the U.S. media's infamous failures leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 as an example, Greenwald argues that allowing a government to act as the arbiter of what constitutes "fake" vs. "real" news is a recipe for disaster.
"So if the Bush admin in 2002 had the power to block "Fake News" from the internet, you're saying they'd have blocked (false) Judy Miller stories about Iraqi WMDs & Jeffrey Golbderg on the Saddam/AQ alliance?" he asks of a commenter responding to his original tweet. "Or would they have blocked (true) stories denying those things?"
Over the years, Greenwald has said much the same of the term "terrorism," which in the American political arena is used to describe the violence committed by other people and foreign governments, but never the violence perpetrated by the U.S. military or its proxies around the world.
While much has been made of so-called "fake news" in the U.S. following the 2016 presidential campaign, a study published this week revealed the false news stories, even those spread wildly on social media platforms, had "little impact" on those exposed to them and likely did little or nothing in terms of influencing the outcome of the elections.
"The reach of fake news was wide indeed, the study found," the New York Times reported, "yet also shallow."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Following a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron for the government to be given sweeping powers to block online content deemed "fake news" during national elections, critics caution that such a move would put the country on a slippery slope towards authoritarian-style censorship that would ultimately do more harm than good.
"From the start," warned journalist Glenn Greenwald on Thursday in response to news of Macron's call, the phrase "fake news" has been used as a "rhetorical term with no definition, ensuring abuse. First, Trump appropriated it to attack journalism. Now Macron is exploiting it to obtain government control over the internet. Terms that lack definition are propaganda."
According to the Guardian's coverage of Macron's plan, which he detailed in a speech on Wednesday, news published during an election determined to be "fake" would trigger "an emergency legal action" allowing "authorities to remove that content or even block the website." In addition, the CSA, the French government's media watchdog, would be empowered to fight against "any attempt at destabilization" by television stations controlled or influenced by foreign states.
"At election time, on internet platforms," Macron said in his speech, "the rules applying to content won't be exactly the same."
However, using the U.S. media's infamous failures leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 as an example, Greenwald argues that allowing a government to act as the arbiter of what constitutes "fake" vs. "real" news is a recipe for disaster.
"So if the Bush admin in 2002 had the power to block "Fake News" from the internet, you're saying they'd have blocked (false) Judy Miller stories about Iraqi WMDs & Jeffrey Golbderg on the Saddam/AQ alliance?" he asks of a commenter responding to his original tweet. "Or would they have blocked (true) stories denying those things?"
Over the years, Greenwald has said much the same of the term "terrorism," which in the American political arena is used to describe the violence committed by other people and foreign governments, but never the violence perpetrated by the U.S. military or its proxies around the world.
While much has been made of so-called "fake news" in the U.S. following the 2016 presidential campaign, a study published this week revealed the false news stories, even those spread wildly on social media platforms, had "little impact" on those exposed to them and likely did little or nothing in terms of influencing the outcome of the elections.
"The reach of fake news was wide indeed, the study found," the New York Times reported, "yet also shallow."
Following a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron for the government to be given sweeping powers to block online content deemed "fake news" during national elections, critics caution that such a move would put the country on a slippery slope towards authoritarian-style censorship that would ultimately do more harm than good.
"From the start," warned journalist Glenn Greenwald on Thursday in response to news of Macron's call, the phrase "fake news" has been used as a "rhetorical term with no definition, ensuring abuse. First, Trump appropriated it to attack journalism. Now Macron is exploiting it to obtain government control over the internet. Terms that lack definition are propaganda."
According to the Guardian's coverage of Macron's plan, which he detailed in a speech on Wednesday, news published during an election determined to be "fake" would trigger "an emergency legal action" allowing "authorities to remove that content or even block the website." In addition, the CSA, the French government's media watchdog, would be empowered to fight against "any attempt at destabilization" by television stations controlled or influenced by foreign states.
"At election time, on internet platforms," Macron said in his speech, "the rules applying to content won't be exactly the same."
However, using the U.S. media's infamous failures leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 as an example, Greenwald argues that allowing a government to act as the arbiter of what constitutes "fake" vs. "real" news is a recipe for disaster.
"So if the Bush admin in 2002 had the power to block "Fake News" from the internet, you're saying they'd have blocked (false) Judy Miller stories about Iraqi WMDs & Jeffrey Golbderg on the Saddam/AQ alliance?" he asks of a commenter responding to his original tweet. "Or would they have blocked (true) stories denying those things?"
Over the years, Greenwald has said much the same of the term "terrorism," which in the American political arena is used to describe the violence committed by other people and foreign governments, but never the violence perpetrated by the U.S. military or its proxies around the world.
While much has been made of so-called "fake news" in the U.S. following the 2016 presidential campaign, a study published this week revealed the false news stories, even those spread wildly on social media platforms, had "little impact" on those exposed to them and likely did little or nothing in terms of influencing the outcome of the elections.
"The reach of fake news was wide indeed, the study found," the New York Times reported, "yet also shallow."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.