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Opinion

Trump, Putin and fake news can be resisted by seeking out alternative viewpoints to our own

Paul Letters says the internet is helping spread falsehoods faster than truth, so people must step out of their social media echo chambers and listen to opposing ideas

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Russian President Vladimir Putin talks to US President Donald Trump during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2017. Both leaders are known for enthusiastically promoting their versions of the truth. Photo: Reuters
Paul Letters
Obama founded Islamic State. No Russian troops entered Ukraine. Turkey to join the EU by 2020: millions of Turks to swamp Britain. Anti-Putin journalist Arkady Babchenko assassinated in Kiev.
Trump’s tall tales, Putin’s phoney pronouncements, Brexiters’ bogus broadcasts and now Ukraine’s undermining of the credibility of both journalists and a democratically elected government are just some of the more high-profile examples of political leaders promoting falsehoods around the world. This, in turn, undermines leaders who are not habitual liars. Here, perception matters more than reality: particularly in the developed world, “untrustworthy” is virtually enshrined in the modern definition of “politician”.
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Media insiders are concerned that what non-governmental organisation Reporters Without Borders has labelled a “pathetic stunt” in Ukraine further undermines the credibility of traditional media. Christophe Deloire, the head of the NGO, which advocates for freedom of information and of the press, told AFP: “It is pathetic and regrettable that the Ukrainian police have played with the truth, whatever their motive.” Reporters Without Borders now finds itself in an unusual position: agreeing with Vladimir Putin’s government. The Russian foreign ministry condemned the fake assassination as “obviously yet another anti-Russian provocation” done for “propagandistic effect”.

Reporters Without Borders now finds itself in an unusual position: agreeing with Putin’s government

Andrei Soldatov, a Russian journalist and former colleague of Babchenko wrote on Twitter, “Babchenko is a journalist not a policeman […] part of our job is trust, whatever Trump & Putin say about fake news. I’m glad he is alive, but he undermined even further the credibility of journalists and the media.”

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