The article focuses on a letter sent into the Guardian by Dr Tim Reinke-Williams from University of Northampton as he makes some very interesting points about the topic of fake news that has been the subject of widespread discussion amongst society. He talks about the fact that the idea of "fake news" has been around through history for centuries especially bringing up the case of 1668 in Warwickshire when Sir Robert Holt, the justice of peace was tasked by his fellow colleagues to find and sentence accordingly anyone aiming to spread false information. He also notes that whether or not Sir Robert Holt was successful or not in his endevaours was never recorded.
- "However, “false news” as a phenomenon predates social media, and the internet in general, by about 350 years. "
- In the autumn of 1668, Sir Robert Holt, baronet and justice of the peace for Warwickshire, was tasked to tackle false information
- Whether or not he was successful was not recorded
Personally, it's interesting finding out that the idea of "falsifying information" has been around for several centuries. I think the fact that fake news has become such a huge issue is due to the fact that new digital media has rapidly increased over the last few decades due to globalisation, and as such it has made it incredibly easier for people to spread false information and add to the agenda of fake news. This can be especially evident as historically, many records and data was known to go missing as it was written on paper, however in the case of new digital media, it allows for not only a permanent store of the data, but also a much more wider reach as it is no longer limited to the restrictions of a traditional print platform.
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