Caution: Star Trek: Voyager spoilers ahead!
In the middle of Season 6 of Star Trek: Voyager, Ensign Tom Paris creates a holographic program for the crew to enjoy in their spare time. Within this program is an Irish town called Fair Haven, and holographic characters who appropriately play Irish townsfolk. As creator, Paris made a few modifications inside the program, but was not careful to conceal his changes from the nosy holographic barfly. With no explanation other than "unholy magic." Rumour quickly spreads until the entire town is convinced that Paris and his friends are spirits based on a misunderstanding. The town charges on Paris, ties him up and almost kills him.
While this example is not new or an article it proves a valid point about fake news spreading. Paris and his friends weren't spirits like the townsfolk thought, but rather biological people in a holographic program. The spread of this is a destructive example of how fake news can spread like a wildfire and have detrimental consequences. Furthermore, nothing inspires the public like Television. This episode makes a valid point about how things can get out of hand if you don't keep a lid on fake news, and how fake news can come from a lack of information on the receiving side. If the town understood that they were holograms, they never would have attacked Paris and his friends.
While Star Trek is perhaps an exaggeration on reality the points are still valid. It's not realistic to expect holograms to understand that they are holograms, but understanding both points of the situation is key to extinguishing fake news. [1 photo, 3 links, 1 quote, 264 words]
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