Alright people, it is time to get to the bottom of this “fake news” pandemic. While everyone is throwing the term around like a boiling hot potato, nobody seems to understand what fake news truly is. Sure, it is easy to deduce that, obviously, someone is lying in his or her reporting and misconstruing information to create a set of “alternative facts.” What often goes unrealized, however, is that fake news is not journalism, and true journalists do not produce alternative facts.

The constant bashing of well-represented and esteemed media outlets needs to stop. Dubbing media outlets like CNN and the New York Times as fake is not only wrong, it’s dangerous. Companies such as these are known for pushing the envelope and searching for stories that matter and that people should be aware of. The only reason this inaccurate term came to life is because of individuals not wanting the public to realize the truth about what is happening behind closed doors. Essentially, the whole purpose for its birth was to make people doubt any and all information from highly-credited sources. To those throwing the fake news manifesto at these outlets, it is a matter of silencing organizations on the truth, not slaying corruption.

Now, don’t be fooled, there ARE fake news outlets out there. Companies like Breitbart, American News, Disclose TV, and World Truth TV purposely create content meant to deceive people into believing a certain point of view. They don’t write well-rounded and balanced arguments and do not display the very morale that journalism was founded upon.

For those who may not realize it, journalism was created to provide a well-established, balanced and honest voice for the masses. It is founded on the belief that any information that serves the common interest of the majority of people deserves to be shared. After all, we have Freedom of the Press; we have the freedom to investigate, to learn, to listen and to share the truth and nothing but the truth to all people with standards of ethical reasoning. Any outlet or individual who publishes content that is not fact-checked, balanced and as accurate as possible is not a true journalism organization or a journalist.

There is no room for deception in the truth and that is no alternative fact.