An op-ed published by CNN.com Monday calls for banning the term “fake news,” saying that is has been “weaponized by politicians.”
In the post, media analysts Hossein Derakhshan and Claire Wardle argue that the term is now being used against professional news outlets and has lost its meaning.
“Increasingly the term has become weaponized by politicians who use it to undermine independent journalism in an effort to reach the public directly through their own channels,” the op-ed stated.
The post adds, “Recent revelations about foreign meddling in the US elections have exposed the fact that we’re targets in an active information war. Previously these types of campaigns were fought via sophisticated and expensive communication technologies, such as short-wave radio or transnational satellite television.”
“Now significantly less powerful agents can harm large institutions or established individuals with few resources. It is asymmetrical warfare,” it continues.
The co-author of this article, Claire Wardle, appeared on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” Sunday to discuss “fake news,” saying, “It’s been labelled for things they don’t like, and it’s being used against as a weapon against organizations like CNN. It’s damaging the industry, the free press is what we stand for.” (RELATED: CNN Guest: Stop Saying ‘Fake News’ Because It’s Being Used As A ‘Weapon’ Against CNN [VIDEO])
This article seems to be part of a CNN series titled, “Free Press: What’s At Stake,” a series that purports to focus on “challenges facing the media.” (RELATED: New CNN Series To Focus On ‘Challenges Facing The Media’)