Electronic Media and the Challenges of Fake News: Strategies for Confrontation and Correction

Abstract

The current study aims to identify the reasons leading to the increase in fake news in Iraqi electronic media, identify the risks resulting from fake news in Iraqi electronic media, identify the entities responsible for reducing fake news in Iraqi electronic media, and describe the strategies adopted to combat fake news in Iraqi electronic media. This is achieved by adopting in-depth interviews, using a questionnaire specifically designed for this purpose, on a purposive sample of Iraqi media experts with more than (5) years of experience working in electronic media. The study concluded that weak oversight of electronic media is one of the reasons for the spread of fake news within its media in Iraq, and that the possibility of working within electronic media for non-media specialists is one of the reasons for the spread of fake news within its media.

Weak oversight of online media is one of the reasons for the spread of fake news in Iraq. The ability of non-media professionals to work in online media is another contributing factor. According to experts, the most significant risk resulting from the spread of fake news is the potential for moral harm to individuals targeted by or against whom it is disseminated. The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission is the body authorized to monitor the content of online media in Iraq and regulate the spread of fake news.