Honesty in the Age of Fake News

Actress Jenna Fisher (star of The Office) made headlines this week for an apology she published on Twitter. The apology was in reference to an earlier tweet about the recent tax bill, in which Fischer lamented that teachers would lose the tax deduction they receive to offset the cost of classroom supplies they pay for out-of-pocket.

As it turns out, Fischer's initial tweet was incorrect. The final version of the tax bill left those deductions alone. As a result, many people (including Senator Orrin Hatch) tweeted criticism of Fischer, accusing her of intentionally misleading people to serve her own political beliefs.

After the backlash, Fischer deleted the tweet and wrote a lengthy apology, in which she explained that she was simply misinformed and had no intention of sharing false information. Fischer's apology was also an ode to accuracy.

"I believe accuracy is important," she wrote, adding, "What I treausre most about our democracy is the dialogue we share ... But part of having a dialogue involves listening and learning and admitting when you're wrong." The apology has received praise as widespread as the backlash to the initial tweet.

Fischer's situation—from the initial tweet to the apology—exemplifies a problem almost every consumer of news must confront at some point. In a time when fake news runs rampant, it's easy to believe—and to spread—false information. So when we as consumers find out that a given story is untrue, what is our responsibility? We aren't the ones who created the fake news, but it is just as damaging to spread it, knowing that it is untrue. Is it enough to delete a tweet? Or are we obligated to make a full apology and acknowledge our mistake, as Fischer did? I also wonder how much people care. If you read a story that you knew to be fake, but it was in line with your politics and you knew that other readers believed it to be true, would you blow the whistle?