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Giovanna P.

Fake News x Opinion

Updated: Apr 20, 2022

In recent years, there has been a prominent tendency in the media and in the overall culture of claiming "fake specific ideological and personal opinions news". Perhaps this is a political strategy to discreditthe counterarguments and opposition. People havedifferent perspectives and approaches, and they should be able to support their claims with proper evidence.


Fake news are statements that go against facts, evidence, and reality. An opinion is someone's view, belief, or judgment of something, according to the Cambridge dictionary. Opinions may or should be based on evidence, and this is why it's important to be well informed. However, there is a bigger issue involved in this topic: censorship. Although most

democratic nations have in their constitutional texts the freedom of speech, some recent opinative arguments dare to restrict this right of their opposition, through the use of public coercion.

"Facts are stubborn thingsy and whatever may be your wishes, your inclinations, or the dictates of your passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence", said John Adams, one of America's founding fathers. Human sciences are also sciences and some historical events have only one right perspective, the factual one. People's opinions cannot be confused with fake news. Opinions should not be censored due to disagreements, and different groups should not be granted different levels of flexibility when it comes to

expressing themselves, their opinions, or arguments. The restriction of this right can not be viewed as moral or acceptable, even if the purposes seem moderate.

Today, it may be someone you disagree with that is being censored, but tomorrow, it might be you. Censoring people's opinions under the argument of stopping fake news sounds more like fear of what the person is saying than actually care for the truth, because those who spread fake news will lose credibility and audience, sooner or later. "When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you are only telling the world you fear what he might say", says writer George R. R. Martin.


"... the dictates of your passion cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."

John Adams


Image Source: wizard.com.br

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