The key question is: What is news. The definition is "newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent events."

I.e, information (facts) about recent events

Most complaints of "fake news" are simply opinions which the readers don't like, and are not news. Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that these could not and should not be controlled.

Where the area gets fuzzy is where blogs blindly repeat information that is patently false, and this is where New Matilda and Independent Australia fall short so often. That the information is repudiated by reliable sources makes no difference.

A lot of "false news" seems to be simple click bait to score hits and I assume collect advertising dollars. Plenty around that's a headline not substantiated by the content link to.

The role of Facebook, Goggle and other major players in the advertising market does get interesting.

Not just false news but allowing their platforms to be used for what are clearly scam activities (anybody else found plenty of Facebook links that on android devices go to a pop up claiming that the device is badly infected by virus's).

I don't think the platform providers should be responsible for opinions expressed via those platforms but do think there is a significant responsibility when it's paid advertising which should be vetted and apparently is not.

R0bert

A couple of questions need to be asked
because the line between reporting and
opinion is becoming too blurred.

Are too many journalists covering politics
being commentators "players," rather than reporters.
Do some media organisations have it in for the
Coalition/Labor/Independents/ et cetera.

It seems that many journalists have indeed become
as much a part of the news as what they report.

As long as the news itself is presented accurately
and fairly, editorial and journalistic leanings
shouldn't matter. But there's also no point in
claiming snow-white impartiality for political
coverage if it's not there.

Hi Foxy,

There are a swag of political commentators to be found in the pages of newspapers, on cable TV, online etc. These people are employed not to report the factual news as such, but to present political opinion which reflects the views of the organization/proprietor. The problem with that is many people believe the commentator is presenting the facts and not opinion, and therefore they themselves now feel they too are armed with the facts. This works well particularly when the reader/listener is already inclined to that view anyway.

Another worrying aspect of news reporting in Australia, is the lack of news reporting, I recall at one time Channel 9 trumpeted that "More Australians get their news from Channel 9 than any other source!" The fact being Channel 9's news bulletin contains very little news, some local content with a fair bit of popular material, a little bit of international news at best, then a good deal of sport and weather, reporting all that in less than 20 minutes with breaks. The commercial TV stations have abandoned investigative reporting, which was pioneered by the ABC with 'This Day Tonight' and 'Four Corners'. The commercials now provide a light magazine type show and call it 'A Current Affair' or some such name. I am sure this is all driven by the bottom line and returns the best financial outcome for the station.

The average Australian is happy to live an all beer and skittles existence, and is glad it is all happening over there, and not here. Its when over there starts to turn up on his front door that the average Australian starts to freak out about it all, demanding the polititions do something!

Dear Paul,

That's why those of us who are torn between the
desert of mainstream media and the jungle of
the internet need places where national but
diverse views can be found on important issues.

Merry Christmas to you and yours and a Happy New Year.
I'm now going to start working on my Christmas lunch.
The family is coming and it's going to be a busy day.

Foxy, Paul,

So you two shy away from the real news outlets and rely on politically biased blogs on the fringe that will tell you what you want to hear.