Separating fact from rumor: The role of journalists in debunking conspiracy theories

Like many of my Lebanese compatriots, and indeed many Arabs, I have considered, even if only for the briefest of moments, the possible credibility of many a conspiracy theory that regularly creep into social media and even into mainstream media and some official pronouncements every now and then. The most barefaced and audacious lies that would only require a quick phone call or two from a dedicated journalist to debunk, are usually those that are believed most earnestly and that persist in popular culture and continue to make the rounds in social circles, even at the highest levels, at least that is the case in Lebanon.

Normally intelligent people I know have considered the credibility of the most incredible claims, a recent example that comes to mind is that former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the most scandalous and outrageous claims about US funding and training of ISIS and its leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi in her new book. The first question that comes, or should come to mind here is: Why would she do that? What possible reason could she have to do that: temporary insanity perhaps? Believing or even considering such drivel and even contributing to spreading it, that is what is insane.



A very intelligent article in the New Statesman: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/09/inside-jobs-and-israeli-stooges-why-muslim-world-thrall-conspiracy-theories tackles the tendency to believe, defend and propagate conspiracy theories by Muslim communities around the world. However, from what I see this tendency is not limited to Muslims, Arabs of all religious affiliations are just as susceptible to believing conspiracies. One particular political satirical television program produced and broadcast by a major TV station in Lebanon often hints at and points to debunked conspiracy theories and treats them as credible news around which it designs and builds its funniest sketches, which only helps to entrench such conspiracies in people’s minds.

In Lebanon, the line between outright disinformation, social media gossip and credible fact-checked news has blurred to such a degree that there is no longer any distinction. Media organizations do not seem to accept the responsibility for delivering credible news, this is especially the case for online news portals where the pressure to refresh webpages and keep shoveling new and interesting information down consumers’ throats trumps the journalistic instinct to check and double check information.

In Lebanon, the near total political and sectarian polarization of the population and the media further complicates matters. A conspiracy theory that appeals to one side of the political divide or furthers its agenda is immediately embraced as fact and is treated as such without any further investigation, no questions asked. In fact, people get angry and offended when you debunk their treasured conspiracy theories, no doubt neatly filed away in their brains along with a pre-prepared statement that they readily regurgitate to defend those theories. Any close scrutiny or in-depth questioning of such stalwart defenders of conspiracies would find most unable to respond with solid facts, since all they would have at hand are pseudo facts generated by our popular media and social media, both of which seem to feed of each other.

If social media has been a boon for interpersonal communication and for promoting media freedom in the world, in the Middle East it has been used in the worst way possible, to spread lies and half truths, to propagate disinformation and conspiracy theories and instill fear. That last one is the specialty of many terrorist groups, ISIS being the most prominent example that comes to mind. ISIS is a master at the use of psychological warfare. They use fear to place and keep populations under their spell, in perpetual fear of their purported might and strength, in fact, they use such tools to magnify their strength. In a society like our Levant and the wider Middle East, where we readily accept outlandish claims and incredible conspiracies regardless of the credibility of the source, ISIS has had great success in defeating its enemies by invading their minds before their lands.

There is no doubt that conspiracy theories are dangerous and can have a profound effect on populations. It therefore behooves us as the guardians of credible facts to take greater care when spreading any news item that may have unintended and tragic consequences. Even in reporting on criminal investigations, news media in Lebanon are careless with their fact checking and are more concerned with scoops than they are with facts.

A greater degree of professionalism among our journalistic cadre is needed. Journalists are among the most dedicated and bravest professionals I know and they need to take back and assume the role as primary gatekeeper of news, a role no to be taken lightly at all. They need to find strong, reliable sources and build trust with them and to always have multiple credible sources for any news item. Above all they need to resist the urge to copy and paste from Wikipedia! They need to resist reposting and republishing news just because it appeared in other media; they need to find their own multiple sources to confirm the news first. Its all about the leg work, its all about doing your homework and being persistent and dogged in the pursuit of the truth and not just going with the flow.


As a consumer of news, I demand better quality information.

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