Is Fake News a Dilemma (or maybe an Industry)?

I’m a little late with this week’s post — but I do have an excuse! 😀

I had to prepare some other texts, which I will refer to below.

The question in the title is inspired by recent remarks made by Silke Müller — see “Technology + Culture + Ethics + Education in Deutschland (Interview with Silke Müller)” [ https://europe.politics.blog/2024/10/20/technology-culture-ethics-education-in-deutschland-interview-with-silke-muller ].

She and I both attended an event in which she presented her latest book and I (and others) were invited to ask questions. I have transcribed my question and her answers … albeit in German (see “Technologie + Kultur + Ethik + Erziehung in Deutschland (Interview mit Silke Müller) — Aufruf zur Transkription” [ https://europa.politics.blog/2024/10/20/technologie-kultur-ethik-erziehung-in-deutschland-interview-mit-silke-muller-aufruf-zur-transkription ] ). I may try to translate them sometime, but I did not have enough time to do that yet.

At the event, a professor from a university “artificial intelligence” department offered support for a week-long training seminar having to do with issues I raised (and which Mrs. Müller replied to, mentioning that schools and teachers are presently not well prepared to help students learn the required skills). Yet I wonder: if a university department which receives money from an advertising agency, is that a good place to learn something (such as “critical thinking skills”) about how students ought to interpret so-called “information” from the advertising industry?

In Germany and America, there is much talk about how Putin (or some “Russian propaganda” machine) creates “fake news”. I find it odd that there is so little being said about how some of the largest corporations on the entire planet create “fake news” — insofar as advertising is not only their first and foremost business model but in some cases also upwards of 99% of their income — they actually make money by making fake news 24/7/365!

Perhaps what Mrs. Müller refers to as a “dilemma” has more to do with calling Russians bad versus calling Americans good?