[In-Depth Review] Approaches to Information Require Education

Heo Yoon, Attorney at Gangnam Law Firm

Chloe Kim is of Korean descent but won a gold medal in snowboarding at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics representing the United States. As one of America's heroes, Chloe Kim was not immune to hate crimes. She revealed her feelings, saying, "There were people who spat in public places," and "I never go alone unless it’s a crowded place."

American media diagnose former President Donald Trump's repeated fake news as one of the main causes of hate crimes. Trump named COVID-19 the 'China Virus,' fueling white supremacy and racial discrimination. Americans exposed to fake news containing hateful expressions for four years were inevitably influenced.

Linguist Edward Sapir said that language governs thought. George Orwell’s novel 1984 also limits behavior by controlling expression. When repeatedly exposed to fake news, people unknowingly come to believe falsehoods as truth. The agitators of our time all operate this way.

Germany is known as the origin of the term fake news. In the 1920s, the Nazis called media outlets that pursued values different from theirs "lying press." They created a fake news frame to attack their opponents. Goebbels demonstrated exceptional ability in producing fake news, leading to the deaths of millions of Jews. That is why Germany is sensitive to fake news. The German government began recommending social media companies voluntarily delete fake news as early as 2015 and started regulating fake news by law several years ago. A law imposing fines of up to 50 million euros (approximately 6.4 billion KRW) on social media companies that neglect fake news is currently in effect.

France enacted the 'Law on the Fight Against Manipulation of Information,' regulating the spread of fake news and false information during election periods since December 2018. Candidates can request judges to delete information suspected of being false on social media before elections, and judges can shut down or block websites posting fake news within 48 hours. Businesses violating these obligations can be punished with up to one year in prison and fines of 75,000 euros.

However, fake news does not disappear simply because of legal regulation. Technological advances outpace the law. Ultimately, the fundamental solution is to strengthen media literacy, enabling readers to judge for themselves what is true and what is false. Recently, a meaningful case related to media literacy emerged in Germany. In Saarland state, the 'Fake News Combat Workshop' teaches students how to approach news. First, when encountering information on the internet, they are taught to verify where the information comes from and ensure there are at least two or more sources. They are also taught to consider whether the information was created for specific interests. Rather than telling them what fake news is, the workshop presents an approach to accessing information.

Media literacy education takes a long time to show effects. Nevertheless, without the ability to discern fake news independently, one can never escape the trap of fake news. For fostering a healthy civic consciousness, continuous education on information access methods is necessary.

Heo Yoon, Attorney at Gangnam Law Firm