Internet governance and the priming of (fake) news content for automated media (2018)

When considering ways to identify and discourage the spread of fake news online, the conversation inevitably turns toward the role of social media algorithms, bots and other automated technologies that obscure the distinctions between verifiable journalism and questionable information. As we see with the ongoing dilemma of fake news on Facebook, one of the central quandaries is how (or if) Facebook can tweak its algorithms to ensure users receive a composite of reliable journalistically-sourced content. Rather than focus on the algorithmic proliferation of fake news on social media, this project: “Internet governance and the priming of (fake news) for automated media” examines technological and economic factors that influence the creation of fake news prior to automated dispersion.