[The Editors' Verdict] The Contradictory Union of 'Fake' and 'News'

Mentions of ‘fake news’ by the president and the ruling party have increased noticeably recently. Given that this coincides with intensified attacks on major portals like Naver, these remarks are far from trivial.

President Yoon Suk-yeol recently stated at the Korea Freedom Federation’s founding anniversary ceremony, "False agitation, fabrication, and fake news are threatening the free Republic of Korea." Around the same time, Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, referred to rumors about THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) during a negotiation group representative speech, saying, "The fake news experts who were active back then have appeared again." The same party’s Special Committee on Civic Group Advancement also cited some environmental organizations as examples, emphasizing, "We will request that organizations spreading fake news and rumors be reflected in government subsidy reviews." Furthermore, the Presidential Commission on National Unity’s Media Special Committee recently conducted a survey on ‘Improvement Measures for the Digital News Distribution Structure’ targeting media companies, identifying fake news as one of the ‘problems in the portal-centered digital news ecosystem.’ The survey included a question asking, "What do you think is the main cause of fake news?" indicating high interest.

The ‘fake news’ remarks from the president, ruling party leader, and affiliated committees can be interpreted as a determination to respond more firmly. With the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) enabling even images to be manipulated in news, it is clear that the time to take action has come.

However, how to eradicate fake news remains a question mark. The core issue is ‘what constitutes fake news.’ According to the dictionary definition, fake news is ‘false stories that appear as news.’ The Cambridge English Dictionary defines it as "false stories in the form of news that spread via the internet or other media and exert political influence."

Professor Lee Wan-soo of Dongseo University’s Media Content College stated in his 2018 paper titled ‘What is Fake News? - A Multidimensional Discussion on the Concept and Scope of Fake News’ that "since news is created based on objective facts, the term ‘fake news’ is a self-contradictory act that denies this and is a contradictory expression." Regarding the claim that "misreporting is also fake news," he said, "If it is reported differently from the facts with intent or purpose, it can be seen as such," but added, "However, if there is no intent, it is difficult to consider it fake news."

The ambiguous definition of fake news is also evident in the case of the Korea Press Foundation. According to data recently submitted by the Press Foundation to the office of Rep. Yoo Jung-joo of the Democratic Party, only 13 reports were filed within about 40 days after the fake news reporting center was established in early May. Among these, three were inquiries about the reporting center itself, and only two cases complained of specific damages caused by fake news. The establishment of the reporting center itself has not been viewed favorably, and without clear standards, its role has become virtually meaningless.

In the United States, former President Donald Trump used the term fake news when reporting was unfavorable to him, and in Korea, it has been used interchangeably with similar concepts such as satire, lies, political agitation, and misreporting. Choi Myung-gil, chairperson of the Media Special Committee, said in a phone interview, "Because former President Trump defined anything unfavorable to him as fake news, it became politicized," adding, "It is more appropriate to use terms like false information or disinformation."

Concerns about the government’s fake news eradication measures stem from the possibility of them turning into witch hunts. If responses are made based on arbitrary standards, there is a high risk that the entire news content ecosystem could be stifled. Voices of concern have already emerged in the media industry. Establishing objective standards for fake news appears urgent.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.