The Epistemology of Fake News

Fake news is an important topic of current social concern. This book is the first sustained inquiry into the epistemology of fake news. The chapters examine the meaning of the term 'fake news', discuss practices that generate or promote fake news, and investigate potential therapies for the problems it presents.

News is vital for a healthy democracy. Collective decision-making requires accurate, reliable information. Nevertheless, much of the information we encounter is inadequate for this task. And some--peddled by politicians, profiteers, bots and algorithms--is fake. Social media platforms and emerging technologies allow fake news to dominate our information landscape. An adequate understanding our current information landscape calls for a new discipline, the epistemology of fake news. The epistemology of fake news studies knowledge communication under imperfect conditions. This book is the first sustained inquiry into the new epistemology of fake news. The chapters, authored by established and emerging names in the field, pursue three goals. First, to analyse the meaning and novelty of ''fake news'' and related notions, such as ''conspiracy theory.'' Second, to discuss the mechanics of fake news, exploring various practices that generate or promote fake news. Third, to investigate potential therapies for fake news.