Journalism, political polarization, and the fake news controversy

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the position of the Brazilian press in the face of the so called “fake news” problem, in the context of a growing political polarization of which this press was an important stimulator, which amplifies the ambiguities of its reaction. The issue is analyzed in the light of the challenges that the new technologies have brought to professional journalism, both as an institution and as an economic enterprise, and as the discourse on fake news is mobilized, in the first instance, to reinforce its traditional position. The great Brazilian press, however, finds itself in an ambiguous position in the face of the advance of bolsonarismo, which is simultaneously the last lifeline against an undesired victory of the Workers Party (PT) and a threat to the political capital of journalism itself. In conclusion, I try to demonstrate how the parallel crises of liberal democracy and journalism are reflections of their historical limitations and can not be countered simply with the aspiration of an improbable return to the past.