The Media from an Epistemological Perspective and Factual Accountability in the Media

Biased media outlets have politicized and polarized the news. In the world of academia, a thorough study of epistemically toxic media environments has more clearly defined, and expanded upon, the colloquially known “fake news.” Philosopher C. Thi Nguyen’s epistemological study of echo chambers helps one to understand the gravity of media objectivity, or the dangers of a lack thereof. An echo chamber, as defined by Nguyen, is “a social epistemic structure in which other relevant voices have been actively discredited.” Media sources that exist as an echo chamber derive their power from constantly bombarding their readers/viewers/listeners with language that “exposes” other media sources as manipulative and fake, causing the audience to rely solely upon the biased echo chamber as a source of news. When creating your news outlet, avoid this assumption of complete epistemological authority. Report objectively; disparaging other news sources does not increase the significance of your own.

Echo Chambers and fake news are intertwined; in order to reach a viewership status that relies only on the single source, echo chambers often spread conspiracy theories and other fake media forms. Social media sites in particular have begun to monitor for fake news.

Meta has instituted a fact checking system for its platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) through a partnership with “independent third-party fact-checkers that are certified through the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).” The three step process - “Identify” (monitoring for keywords and hoaxes/misinformation), “Review” (gauge accuracy of sources through research), and “Act” (warning re-posters of the misinformation and reducing distribution) - is just one component of Meta’s larger “problematic content” monitoring policy. TikTok has adopted a similar approach, particularly with respect to Covid-19 related posts, that includes “fact-checking partners,” “trained teams working to identify and remove false or misleading content,” and a ban on “paid advertising that advocates against vaccinations.” Twitter has gone so far as to suspend the accounts of those who continually violate its Covid-19 misinformation policies. As reported by the New York Times, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican Representative of Georgia, was recently banned from the site after accumulating five “strikes” earned from spreading misinformation about Covid.

Members of the press now have to navigate these media flags when reporting. Consider how your news outlet in HNMUN’s Press Corps will ensure that it avoids all misinformation flags. Conduct research with care during your time at HNMUN. A few things to ask yourself as you prepare for HNMUN - What about the way you write and report makes you a trustworthy source? Why should readers trust your editorial reporting? How can you keep your editorial voice concurrent with that of your purely objective pieces?

Best,

Abigail Mack
Assistant Director