A worker loads oil palm fruit into a lorry at a local palm plantation in Shah Alam outside Kuala Lumpur in this November 21, 2013 file photo. REUTERS/Samsul Said/Files
A NEW topic has made the headlines recently. This concerns the spread of fake news. News which cannot be substantiated by facts. There is always a hidden agenda behind such made up news. It became a big issue during the US Presidential elections.
Listening to some expert discourse on the issue, it is apparently not a new phenomenon. The spreading of untrue news has always been a strategy to shape public opinion. Take the claim of Iraq having weapons of mass destruction. That piece of news was fuelled by the legitimate western media. But now, after all the evidence came out, that news has been proven to be grossly inaccurate. The hidden agenda was to create a case to remove Saddam from power. Many would not be surprised there may have been other such invented news in the past. Most were unfortunately orchestrated by the main line media.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
