One thing already appears certain for 2019 and that is that all of us will continue to confront more and more fake news from the daily torrent of tweets, talk radio, faceless social media, Russian robots and our Nextdoor gossipers.
Things could get so bad that real news won’t have a chance unless it is just as sensational, loud or crude as the fake stuff. Looking ahead at the next 12 months of news, which of the following do you think will actually happen and which items would you call fake:
Government shutdowns. This year will be like a rolling blackout for our federal government. Large parts of it will be opened and closed for weeks and months at a time as the divided Congress and an impeachable president play roulette with our national security, federal workers’ paychecks and our tax dollars. Fake or real?
Self-driving cars. Tests go well and the first fleet of driverless vehicles is allowed on Highway 101. During a rush hour episode in July, two automated cars collide in a first-ever driverless road rage incident, leaving a CHP officer speechless. You know it’s bound to happen sooner or later.
Wild fires. We can only hope the next reports of a wild fire in our region will be totally fake news. But we can’t afford to take any fire warning or smell of smoke as a false alarm. It is not fake news that we now live in year-round wildfire country. We think we are better prepared for the next fires, but the truth is we still have much more to learn and do.
Climate change. Go ask PG&E if climate change is real or not. The new and more extreme weather patterns of drought, less fog and high winds just cost the giant utility billions of dollars. Will it be fake news to report that PG&E’s pending bankruptcy will be felt in all of our pocketbooks?
Facebook confessions. The social media monster will convert to everyone’s angel by scrubbing all past collected users’ data off the Internet and starting over. The new Facebook will be dedicated to privacy and benevolent causes. A new Facebook corporate logo will feature a unicorn. Believe it?
The Internet breaks. Well ahead of most predictions, all Amazon and other cyber currency platforms are hacked, making the Internet a counterfeit version of itself. All banking and credit card transactions are not longer secure. Millions of people at Amazon, the stock markets, government and Google become unemployed. Flea markets and garage sales start popping up everywhere just like before there was eBay.
SMART arrives in Windsor. Lots of people will call this fake news. The first trains may not arrive at the Windsor station in 2019, but 2020 is looking like a good bet. Talk about completing the commuter service to Cloverdale remains another story, however.
Affordable housing solutions. This serious topic will continue to require lots of serious planning and new approaches. It is not fake news to report this will be a decades-long story. We look forward to reporting real news about real progress. It would not be fake news to say this is everyone’s problem to help solve.
The end of fake news. News consumers become fatigued with Trump impeachment rumors, too many Democratic presidential candidates and too many government shutdowns. Millions of viewers cut their cables to FOX, CNN and MSNBC. There is a national blackout and when the lights come back on five days later, everyone realizes they didn’t miss a thing. Book sales, magazine and newspaper reading and old movie reruns replaced smart phone hours. People got happier and the real news of the day was all that was left. Too bad that’s fake.
— Rollie Atkinson
