The Fact Crisis is Deliberately provoked.
Strategy of Division 🪓 Populists deliberately undermine trust in sources of knowledge like science, media, and democratic institutions to build and consolidate their own power.
Attack on the Media 🗡️ Populists defame media, journalists and their critical reporting as »fake news« or »elitist« to sow doubt about facts and established news sources.
Manipulation through Disinformation ⚠️ Through both traditional and social media, populists spread conspiracy myths and half-truths to intensify the fact crisis among the public.
Supporting Democracy 🗳️ Media literacy, fact-based debates, and a strong rule of law are essential to counter populist strategies and to support a healthy democracy.
Fake News Works by Emotions Like Fear and Anger.
Confirmation of One’s Own Views ✅ People tend to believe information that confirms their existing beliefs, even if it is obviously false: The desire to be right fuels the fact crisis.
Simple Explanations 📜 Complex issues are often greatly simplified in fake news, making them easier to understand and thus even more convincing: Serious questioning is exhausting.
Rapid Dissemination 🚀 Social media accelerates the spread of false reports before they can be verified or refuted, exacerbating the crisis of facts: The main thing is to keep it short and quick.
Lack of Media Literacy 📚 Many people lack the knowledge to critically examine sources and reliably identify fake news: Even some simple googling is too time-consuming.