In a media ecosystem that is more saturated than ever, where traditional media, digital platforms and social networks coexist, the proliferation of disinformation poses one of the greatest contemporary challenges: distinguishing the truth among an ocean of data, headlines and opinions. This is what journalist and businesswoman Lucía Casanueva denounces, who warns that the fake news have eroded the value of truthful information and weakened the foundations of democracy.
Casanueva highlights a disturbing paradox: the greater the access to information, the more difficult it seems to be to access the truth. In the midst of a convulsive geopolitical context, with open wars such as those in Ukraine or Gaza, lies circulate with impunity and without visible consequences, while governments hide behind ambiguous discourse and the media, in many cases, renounce their critical function. The author regrets that speed and volume have replaced verification, that narrative has taken precedence over facts, and that journalism has ceased to be a counterweight to power.
The situation, he says, not only misinforms: it dehumanises, polarises and isolates citizens. Instead of encouraging critical thinking, too much information generates confusion and apathy. Dizzy with contradictory headlines, citizens have lost confidence in the media, and democracy is weakened as a result. "We live in a society of efficiency and we are satisfied with truthfulness painkillers," Casanueva says, warning that the sustainability of a reputation is no longer as important as the ability to weather a momentary crisis.
In the face of this drift, the author vindicates the essential role of journalism as a guarantor of the constitutional right to receive truthful information -recognised in article 20 of Spain's Magna Carta-. She also points out the responsibility of the media, editors and journalists in rebuilding social trust, resisting the logic of immediacy and recovering the principles of informing, educating and entertaining.
Casanueva points out that initiatives by the European Union and platforms such as YouTube, which have set up news centres to curb the use of fake newsThese are positive steps, but insufficient without a firm ethical commitment on the part of professionals and a critical citizenry that demands quality and rigour in news reporting.
In his opinion, journalism has not disappeared, but it is sick. And it can only heal if it recovers its function as a counterweight to power and its vocation of public service, above algorithms, audiences or fashions. At a time when influencers are gaining ground and institutional cabinets are dodging scrutiny, Casanueva insists, it is urgent to rescue journalism as an essential asset for democratic society.