GPS host Fareed Zakaria led with a piece yesterday on the role of social media in propagating lies and prejudice at the expense of facts and the effect this has on polarization. Sadly this isn't a new phenomenon; I commented on this in 2011.
Sadder still perhaps, is that the reason he drew attention to this issue, one that has profound implications for society and civil discourse, is that he was personally the subject of malicious rumour-mongering.
While it's unfortunate that he has been personally maligned, it's far worse that the phenomenon he belatedly laments has infantilized public debate, fuelled the polarizing of society, and made political compromise needed to get things done in the political sphere significantly harder.
Regrettably, the news media is (as in the case) partly to blame for failing in their responsibility to shine a light on falsehoods, duplicity, and dis-ingenuousness. News, even that purporting to be serious (Fox not included here), has crossed into the realm of entertainment, leaving journalistic principles and integrity behind.
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