ABSTRACT

Since declaration of post-truth as Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year in 2016, studies show that ‘fake news’, ‘alternative facts’, and disinformation have continued unabated – and even increased. Fingers have pointed at individuals such as Donald Trump and the activities of Russian ‘troll farms’. Also, global outrage has risen in relation to the deceptive and manipulative practices of organisations such as Cambridge Analytica and social media oligopolies, notably Facebook. However, transdisciplinary research challenges the ‘few bad apples’ argument and proposes that a wide range of culprits are responsible for what this study calls post-communication. Based on a review of reports related to public communication practices, and key informant interviews, this discussion proposes that reforms are required at three levels: top-down, such as updated regulation and legislation; bottom-up, including new approaches to media literacy; and increased attention to ethics and standards by professionals in advertising, marketing, public relations, government and political communication, and journalism.

摘要

自从将真相宣布为2016年牛津词典年度最佳词汇以来，研究表明，“假新闻”，“替代事实”和虚假信息一直没有减弱，甚至有增无减。手指直指唐纳德·特朗普（Donald Trump）和俄罗斯“巨魔农场”的活动。此外，与诸如Cambridge Analytica和社交媒体寡头（尤其是Facebook）这样的组织的欺骗性和操纵性行为有关的全球愤慨也有所上升。但是，跨学科研究对“几个坏苹果”的论点提出了挑战，并提出了各种各样的罪魁祸首应对这种所谓的传播后现象。。基于对与公共传播实践有关的报告的回顾以及对主要信息提供者的采访，该讨论建议需要在三个级别上进行改革：自上而下，例如更新的法规和立法；以及自上而下的改革。自下而上，包括新的媒体素养方法；广告，市场营销，公共关系，政府和政治传播以及新闻专业人士对道德和标准的重视程度也有所提高。